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Thursday, June 15, 2017

Direct Line with Vladimir Putin -- FULL REPORT

The annual
special Direct Line with Vladimir Putin was broadcast live by Channel One,
Rossiya 1, Rossiya 24 and Russia Today TV channels, and Mayak, Vesti
FM and Radio Rossii radio stations.

June 15,
2017

16:00

Moscow

Direct Line with
Vladimir Putin.

Tatyana Remezova:
Good afternoon, we are live. This is Direct Line with Vladimir Putin,
a joint project by Channel One and Rossiya 1 TV channels. You
can also watch the broadcast live on Rossiya 24, and listen
to a live radio broadcast on Mayak, Vesti FM and Radio
Rossii radio stations.

The anchors
of Direct Line are Tatyana Remezova and Dmitry Borisov.

Dmitry Borisov:
Good afternoon,

First of all,
I would like to introduce our colleagues who will be helping us
today. Maria Gladkikh and Natalya Yuryeva are in the call centre;
and here in the studio we have Vera Krasova, Nailya Asker-zade,
Olga Pautova and Olga Ushakova.

They are surrounded
by people who were in the spotlight of the last year’s
most dramatic news reports, people who arguably have shaped today’s Russia
in one way or another.

Now to Tatyana
Remezova.

Tatyana Remezova:
President of Russia Vladimir Putin is here, in the studio, live.

Maria Gladkikh:
Good afternoon,

We are
in the call centre, which plays a key role in Direct Line.
Our centre has already received 1.1 million calls. You can submit your question
to Vladimir Putin right now. The telephone number has not changed: 8
(800) 200 4040. You can also use 04040 for SMS and MMS messages.

Natalya Yuryeva:
In addition to SMS messages and telephone calls, our operators
also accept video questions that can be submitted either from
the moskva-putinu.ru website or by using a special mobile
application called Moskva Putinu (Moscow to Putin).

You can also submit
questions using the programme’s official accounts on the VKontakte
and Odnoklassniki social networks. For the first time, you can
talk to the head of state by direct video link via OK Live,
as well as the Moskva-Putinu application. This way, not only
will the President hear you, but he will also be able to see you.

Go ahead, make
a call. We will be taking questions until the end
of the broadcast. You still have time. Maybe it will be your question
that Vladimir Putin answers.

Maria Gladkikh:
Another innovation in this year’s Direct Line is the SN Wall
communications platform that enables us to monitor, in real time, how
the audience is discussing the programme on social media. More
than 300,000 comments have already been posted on Facebook, VKontakte,
Instagram and Twitter.

Those who need sign
interpretation can watch the broadcast on Public Television
of Russia and on our website.

Dmitry Borisov:
Good afternoon, Mr President.

President
of Russia Vladimir Putin: Good afternoon.

Dmitry Borisov: Our
call centre has been receiving phone calls for 12 days, and 2 million
messages of various kinds have been received to this point.
The top five of the most sensitive issues for Russians
includes growing prices, declining living standards, housing
and utilities, healthcare and of course, there are many personal
requests.

Tatyana Remezova:
That said, I would like to highlight a major difference from
previous Direct Lines.

Most
of the messages we have received are not about the present, but
about the future: how will our country live in the years
to come, what will its relations with other countries be like? This could
be due to the fact that we are in a pre-election year, when
people have more questions to their leaders, to you primarily,
of course.

Dmitry Borisov:
However, before we start talking about the future, let me begin with
the present.

We have been
hearing many optimistic assessments of the state
of the Russian economy lately. Can we say, would it be right
to assume that the economic crisis is over?

Vladimir Putin: You
have started with a core question, whether the economic crisis is
over. I would very much like to give an affirmative answer,
thereby sending a positive signal to the people. However,
in the back of your mind you cannot stop thinking that something
could still go wrong, something could happen.

Nevertheless, when
it comes to drawing conclusions of this kind we should be guided
by objective data. What are the hard facts telling us? They are
telling us that the Russian economy has overcome the recession,
and moved into a growth trend. I will get back to this later
to explain how this conclusion can be reached and on what data
it is based.

But I would
like to start by making a different point and highlighting
the most pressing issues that have yet to be resolved. You mentioned
them in your question, by the way. What are these issues all
about? Real incomes have been declining over the last several years,
and what is even more alarming is the growing number of people
below the poverty line with incomes below the minimum living wage.

In this
regard, Russia hit a low in the early and mid-1990s, when
almost one third of the country’s population lived below
the poverty line, almost 40 percent or 35 to 37 percent,
according to various estimates, almost 40 million people. This was
the all-time low, while the highest indicators in this respect
were reported in 2012.

In 2012, 10.7
percent of the population was below the poverty line.
Unfortunately, since then this number has reached 13.5 percent. It may not seem
like a lot, just a few percentage points, but we are talking about
tens, and hundreds of thousands of people, their lives, so this
is a matter of serious concern.

There are economic
issues that have still to be addressed, above all regarding real incomes.
What are these issues? They have to do with the structure
of the economy that we find unsatisfactory. In this connection
I have to mention low labour productivity. There will be no new jobs,
and incomes will not increase, unless we improve labour productivity. This
is a major issue.

We will most
definitely come back to these matters and I am 100 percent
certain that people will have further questions and we will go into
greater detail and look further at all that makes it possible
for me to say now that the recession is over and we have
seen economic growth for three quarters in a row now. GDP growth
is modest, but it has nonetheless held steady from one quarter
to the next.

GDP growth was plus
3 percent at the end of the fourth quarter of 2016,
plus 5 percent in the first quarter of this year, and up
1.4 percent in April this year. This makes for GDP growth of 0.7
percent overall for the first four months of 2017.

Industrial
production is also on the rise. We had growth of 0.7 percent
in the first quarter of this year. I have brought along
some of the latest figures, so as not to forget anything,
and I can share them with you too. These are the latest
statistics.

Investment into
capital assets is up 2.3 percent. We see an increase in car sales
and mortgage loans, which all economies consider a clear sign
of growth, and non-resource and non-energy exports are up
by 19 percent.

Finally, another
important macroeconomic indicator is inflation, and we have brought it
down to a record low in modern Russian history. The figure
today is 4.2 percent. This is an unprecedented result and it gives us
reason to expect that we will reach our target figure of 4 percent
by the end of the year.

The Central
Bank’s gold and foreign currency reserves, our international reserves, are
growing. We started 2016 with $368 billion and ended the year with
$378 billion. Today, the figure is $407 billion. One of the most
significant indicators that I must mention is investment into capital
assets, which is growing at a faster pace than the economy
as a whole.

The economy
grew by 0.7 percent over the first four months of this year,
while investment into capital assets was up by 2.3 percent. What does this
mean in simple terms? It means that investment in developing
production facilities is up by 2.3 percent, and this is laying
the foundations for growth in the short term. This,
of course, is a positive development that will have an impact
on various aspects of the social sector too.

Which aspects?
The main social sector achievement that I want to mention once
again is the substantial drop in infant and maternal mortality.
Infant mortality has undergone a three-fold decrease since 2000,
and maternal mortality has seen a close to four-fold drop.
Probably no other country’s social sector has achieved such results. This has
contributed to increased life expectancy as well. The figures
here are now up from just over 70 years to 72 years. Overall, these
results give us reason to say that we have overcome the crisis.

Tatyana Remezova: Mr
President, you yourself spoke about people’s declining real incomes,
and the official statistics confirm this. When will people feel
the benefits of the reviving economy?

Vladimir Putin: You
know, the decline was rather steep, and so it will take some time
before people will feel an improvement. As I said
at the beginning, I consider this to be the most
important and serious problem.

Real wages started
increasing in July or August 2016 and increased 0.7 percent
by the end of the year. This increase is rather difficult
to see, although it reached 2.3 or 2.4 percent in April this
year.

As you know,
we made lump sum payments of 5,000 rubles to pensioners early this
year and increased pensions for non-working pensioners by 5.4
percent starting from February 1 and later brought the overall
figure to 5.8 percent. We have also indexed social pensions.

We are working with
employers to increase the minimum wage. We increased it by over
20 percent last year and have also raised it this year. Overall, we are
working at this so that people can feel the improvements.

Tatyana Remezova: Still,
many people complain about low wages. Here are many text messages
and photos of wage slips. For example, a preschool teacher
at Kindergarten No. 111 in Astrakhan is paid 7,935 rubles.
The slip is for May 2017. Can you live on this wage?

A medical
nurse at the Vostochny Space Launch Centre received 10,246 rubles
in May.

“Should
a firefighter risk his life for 8,000 rubles a month?” asks
Alexander Melnikov, head of a fire team from the Saratov Region.

“When will postal
workers’ wages be raised? You cannot live on 3,600 rubles.”

Vladimir Putin:We
will have to check the situation with salaries of 3,600 rubles
to understand how this is possible. After all, there is a minimum
wage in Russia, and it is more than 3,600 rubles. However, all
the people you have mentioned are public sector employees who did not
benefit from the wage increases under the May 2012 executive orders.

As for public
sector employees who did benefit from these increases, their salaries are going
up as planned, more or less. In other public sector jobs that
were not covered by the May 2012 executive orders, the situation
is more challenging. Their salaries were not adjusted for inflation, even
though prices have gone up, and the inflation rate was quite high
at 12.9 percent in 2015. Still, their wages were not adjusted
for inflation. If you are telling me that this is not fair, I agree.
I have raised this issue with the Government, and issued
instructions to this effect. These salaries will be adjusted
for inflation starting January 1, 2018.

Tatyana Remezova:
Thank you.

Dmitry Borisov: We
have received many calls on this subject. Let us ask the call centre
to join our conversation.

Natalya, you have
the floor.

Natalya Yuryeva: Mr
President, we have just received a call from a medical nurse
in Primorye who asked how she could survive on her salary.
Socioeconomic issues are always the most sensitive, and they worry
Russians the most.

I also see
a question on another sensitive issue, the low salaries
of teachers in the regions.

Here with us, via
video conference, we now have Alyona Ostaltsova from Irkutsk.

Alyona, good
afternoon, you are on, you can ask your question.

Alyona Ostaltsova:
Hello, Mr President.

Vladimir Putin: Hello.

Alyona Ostaltsova:
My name is Alyona Ostaltsova, and I am calling from
the city of Shelekhov, Irkutsk Region. The question I have
is quite common. Why are teachers paid so little? I am an elementary
school teacher. I have been working for one year, but my salary
has never exceeded 16,500 rubles per month. I have not received
the allowance young teachers are entitled to. I love my job,
and I love working with children, but with a salary like this,
I have no choice. How can I live on it? Thank you.

Vladimir Putin:Alyona, you are from Irkutsk Region, is that right?

Alyona Ostaltsova:
Yes.

Vladimir Putin: Shelekhov is probably a small town. I do not know whether your school
is fully staffed. You and I know, and so do all other teachers
across the country, that there is an objective to bring
teachers’ salaries up to the regional average. If I am not
mistaken, since I may not recall the exact figures, the average
salary in Irkutsk Region is slightly above 30,000 rubles. The average
salary in Irkutsk Region is above 30,000 rubles. And teachers’
salaries are even slightly higher in Irkutsk Region.

What happens
in reality? The teachers’ money and the level of wages
are managed by the school itself, and it determines
the payroll and extra payments in addition
to the salary. The school itself does this. Again,
the payroll and additional payments. It is clear that young
specialists, and you are a young specialist, usually make somewhat
less than experienced teachers with longer service and all. It is unclear
though why it is so much less, 50 or 70 percent – I do not
understand this either. I hope that the region’s administration,
the authorities that supervise education, will pay attention to this.

This is what I'm
thinking: as I said, such a difference in income is
unacceptable. Therefore, if this is happening, it would probably be reasonable
to establish a minimum wage or a minimum ratio between
the income level of young specialists and those who have
a long record of service. We probably need to think about this.

Alyona Ostaltsova:
Thank you very much.

Vladimir Putin: About 11,000 rubles, it is certainly strange. I repeat: wages should not
differ so dramatically. We will deal with your specific case.

Tatyana Remezova:
Before this broadcast, we talked to people who sent in their
complaints, including complaints on this issue. Indeed, the situation
is very different in various regions and largely depends on who
is in charge of the region.

Over the past
year, many changes have taken place in the leadership of Russian
regions, something that never happened before: Buryatia, Kaliningrad, Karelia,
Kirov, Mari El, Novgorod, Perm, Ryazan, Sevastopol, Tver, Tula, Udmurtia,
and Yaroslavl. Why? Are all the newly appointed governors coping with
their duties?

Vladimir Putin: You
know, in many places the governors’ tenure in office simply
ended, as many of them had worked for 10 and even more
years. Frankly, it was their own idea to try working in other areas.

In other
regions, we just felt that people want change, and therefore initiated
the process. As to whether they are competent or not, this
is primarily a question for the local people. Some
of the elected regional leaders had already served for six
months or a year before running for the position, so when
they did, people voted for them because they knew they could trust them
with managing the region, so we can say that people –
the voters – believe these candidates were doing a good job.
But, of course, any election, the results of any election are
an upfront trust given to candidates for leadership at any
level at the beginning of their work at this new high
office.

Whether they
succeed or not – I will return to this subject now. They
have to succeed, they have everything to make it despite
the fact they are relatively young. They have extensive state work
and life experience; of course, you can blame it all
on them – but the financial situation is not easy
in the regions.

In this
regard, the Federation helps for them, supports them. To solve
these social issues and level wages, 40 billion rubles have been allocated
in this year’s federal budget. What is more, I asked
the Government to provide additional finances, and they have
allocated another 10 billion rubles. Therefore, they have the support;
they also have their own social programmes. They have to work
and achieve results.

Tatyana Remezova: We
received the following question online: ”Two weeks ago, Europe extended
the anti-Russia sanctions for another year. Do you think we are ready
to live under these sanctions for decades?”

Vladimir Putin: In fact,
the history of Russia shows that we have usually lived under
sanctions whenever Russia started to become independent and feel
strong. Whenever our partners in the world saw Russia
as a serious rival, they imposed various restrictions under various
excuses; this has been the case throughout our history, not just
in Soviet times; this was the case even before the 1917
revolution. So no surprises here.

We now know that
the US Senate has drawn up another draft law on toughening these
sanctions. What are the reasons for this? Nothing extraordinary is
taking place. Why have they started talking about sanctions again, for no
particular reason? This, of course, testifies to the ongoing
domestic political struggle in the United States. In any case,
this is happening and I can see no real reason for it. If it had
not been Crimea or some other issue, they would still have come up with
some other way to restrain Russia. The policy of containing
Russia has always been presented like this.

So, what is
the situation with these sanctions and what impact, if any, have they
had on us? They have had an impact. Has this been fundamental
in nature? I do not think so. We have been affected more
by the global situation and the drop in prices
for our main traditional goods – oil, gas, metals, chemicals,
and so on. What view do our partners take?

The US State
Department believes that these sanctions have lowered our GDP by 1
percent, the Europeans give a slightly higher figure,
and the UN has calculated that we lost around $50–52 billion,
and that the countries that imposed the sanctions have lost $100
billion. In other words, sanctions have proven to be
a double-edged sword and harm everyone, including those who impose
them.

Strange though it
might sound, however, there have been advantages too. What are they?
For a start, we were forced to concentrate our intelligence,
talent and resources on key areas and not simply rely
on oil and gas revenue. What result has this brought? We have seen real
production growth in important and complex economic sectors.

We have rebuilt
substantially our skills in the radio-electronics sector, and we
made good progress in aircraft engineering, rocket building,
pharmaceuticals, and in heavy engineering. That is not
to mention agriculture. We all know that agriculture has posted growth
of around 3 percent and Russia is now a leader in exports
of grain and wheat. That is the result we have to show.

We have reduced
substantially imports and developed our own production of pork
and poultry and cover practically our entire consumption needs.
What’s more, we are now looking for sales markets abroad.

We are
in talks with our Chinese friends on opening the Chinese market
to our pork and poultry producers. So, there are positive aspects
in this situation.

But this is not
a normal situation, of course. All of these restrictions do not
produce anything good, and we should work towards a global economy
that functions without these restrictions.

Dmitry
Borisov: If possible, I would like to return
to the issue of public opinion on the performance
of regional authorities. We have been collecting questions
for the past 12 days and have noticed that journalists have used
some of these questions as themes for their reports, citing
people’s complaints and requests. Miraculously, asphalt was laid, walls
painted and building facades repaired the next day after
the stories appeared on Channel One or Rossiya. This seems
to have solved the problem, or has it?

And there
is also a different trend. Tatyana Remezova can correct me if I am
wrong, because this story was aired on her show. It is about people
complaining over long queues in outpatient clinics while doctors say that
this is not true. Then, there is the issue of pseudo-assistance, when
people pretend that there is no problem, and simultaneously,
the issue of the pseudo-problem, when people try to make
a mountain out of a molehill.

I would
like to say that we record all these cases. Mr President, we will forward
the list of issues that have been allegedly resolved and also
pseudo-problems to you and the Presidential Executive Office.

Vladimir
Putin: It looks as though holding this event once a year is
useful after all. Those who were sitting on their hands will do something
good, like build a road or settle matters with healthcare
or social facilities. But these are only separate elements. What matters
for me is the ability to gauge the public mood, to see
what worries people most, the whole range of issues. Of course,
it is impossible to answer every question. It would be unrealistic
to even try. But we can answer some of them today – I can
do this with your help. And this will help us – me,
the Government and the Presidential Executive Office –
to see the main, and I would even say the most glaring
issues, which we must deal with as a priority. I would like
to thank our television audience, and those who sent their requests
online, for taking part in this work.

Tatyana
Remezova: I know that the subject of sanctions has found
a response among the guests in this studio.

Olga
Pautova has the floor.

Olga
Pautova: Mr President, there are many agribusiness representatives in this
room. They are more concerned with our response to the sanctions
and the related import replacement.

Standing
next to me is Sergei Korolev, head of the National Vegetable
Union. He says the past three years have taught our farmers to grow
delicious and, most importantly, wholesome tomatoes and cucumbers.

Mr
Korolev, do we have productive harvests?

Sergei
Korolev: We are growing by about 20–30 percent a year.

Mr
President, you mentioned the sanctions earlier. We see the measures
introduced against Russia as a gift and an additional tool
to support our agro-industrial sector. The retaliatory measures that
were introduced have produced an effect.

Vegetable
production is growing at a rate unprecedented both
in the Soviet Union and in recent history. I can tell
you that we grew by 50 percent over the year when
the retaliatory measures were introduced. We have invested 150 billion
rubles in vegetable farming. You mentioned these figures today – 150
billion over a short period – [as an example]
of growing investment. This is without a precedent. More than 10,000
new jobs have been created. And we are certainly ready to continue
this work.

But
all of us are concerned with the following issue. The US Senate
adopted a decision yesterday, and Europe declared that their
sanctions would be extended and even expanded. Will we extend our
counter-sanctions in response to the West’s decisions?

And a second
question: When, God forbid, their sanctions are called off, can we hope
for your support in protecting the domestic market, as was
the case with Turkish tomatoes, for which Russian vegetable growers
owe you a special thanks?

Vladimir
Putin: This is not a peripheral question, since it is relevant
to the whole country. Why? Two years ago, as you
and I know all too well, vegetable and fruit production was
the most challenging issue. Prices jumped which could not help but affect
household incomes. In fact, we blocked or substantially reduced
imports, but were unable to meet the needs of Russian consumers
on our own. We did everything we could, and I will not go
through the whole list of initiatives we undertook. You know them
better than I do, and I hope that you have benefited from them.
These initiatives were aimed at helping our producers expand vegetable
and fruit production, primarily vegetables. Two years ago,
the inflation rate reached 12.9 percent, and vegetable and fruit
prices were one of the main reasons behind this surge, although there
were other reasons that also pushed the inflation rate up.

What
we believed was that Russian agricultural producers, meat producers
and those growing fruit and vegetables, needed to expand their
operations to such an extent as to be able to satisfy
domestic demand. You have been successful at this, and I would
like to thank you. Not only you, but all those who live in rural
areas.

The inflation
rate is now at just 4.1 percent. This is a tangible result that
benefits the entire industry. After all, almost one third
of the country’s population lives on agriculture, if we include
the rural population working in social services. This is a very
positive development. You were right to say that your products have
superior quality.

The Government
has extended the sanctions until the end of 2017,
to December 31. We will see how our relations evolve with
the countries that imposed these restrictions on the Russian
economy.

As for the question
of keeping the restrictions in place indefinitely, if our
partners lift the sanctions they imposed on us, we will have
to do the same. Otherwise, Russia will face issues
in the WTO. What I want to say is, first, we need
to promote competition on the domestic market so that it
benefits consumers, including those who live in major cities. Secondly, we
very much hope that you will succeed in expanding your operations
and enhancing your competitiveness, and we are doing everything we
can to help you succeed. If you reach the same level of quality
and labour productivity as your competitors, you will always have
an advantage on the domestic market due to lower logistics
costs. For this reason, we are providing indirect support, which is not
prohibited under WTO rules. As a matter of fact, there are many
loopholes that can be used, and we will continue to do so. However,
you should not expect any massive, direct, or, should I say, aggressive
support measures from us. Now is the time when you have to do everything
it takes in order to become competitive in the near term.

Tatyana
Remezova: Let’s cross to the call centre and hear
a telephone call. Maria, you have the floor.

Maria
Gladkikh: Yes, thank you.

Mr
President, many people call about issues that they have been attempting
to resolve at the local level for a long time.
Finally, when they get desperate, they turn to you in a bid
to get something done quicker. We have a call now from Trans-Baikal
Territory.

Hello,
you are on air. Please introduce yourself.

Natalya
Kalinina: Hello,

Mr
President, I am Natalya Kalinina, a resident of Olovyanninsky
District, Trans-Baikal Territory. My village, Shiviya, was burned down
entirely on April 29, 2015. I remain homeless to this date.

We
were offered housing, but it was unfit for habitation. I have
a small child and am a single mother. I have turned
to all possible levels of authority, but have received no response
anywhere. Our district officials have taken no action at all.

My daughter
is set to begin school this year, but we have no place of residence
registration. We are living in an old abandoned house. Mr President,
please help us to obtain a decent place to live.

Thank
you very much. God bless you.

Vladimir
Putin: Ms Kalinina, please stay on the line. Which region are
you in?

Natalya
Kalinina: Olovyanninsky District, Trans-Baikal Territory.

Vladimir
Putin: Trans-Baikal Territory? This is strange.

Yes,
Trans-Baikal Territory was indeed hit by fires in the summer
of 2015, and we disbursed in full federal money
for providing the fire victims with new housing.

I do
not remember the exact figure now, but I think it was a bit over
half a billion rubles that we allocated, including over 300 million
for resolving these housing problems, and this money was to have
been spent on either buying housing or on building new homes
for families such Ms Kalinina’s.

The region
has a new governor, true, she arrived only in 2016. I will ask
her to look into this situation and will also ask
the prosecutor’s office to investigate where the money went
and how it was spent. Whatever the case, we will resolve your
problem. This is the state authorities’ duty. We promised to provide
everyone affected by the fires with housing, and we will do this.

Dmitry
Borisov: Maria, what are the updates? How many calls per minute is
the call centre receiving? How busy is the line?

Maria
Gladkikh: Of course, Dmitry, I can give you the updates.
But first, I would like to show you how questions
for the Direct Line are taken. Our operators fill in forms
for every caller with their name, gender, age, occupation and,
of course, their question.

For example,
here we have a form for Ella Pavskina from Moscow Region who asked
a question about kindergarten waiting lists. Every minute we receive 106
SMS and MMS messages. Our operators take around 127 calls per minute.
The line’s maximum capacity is up to 456 calls.

Right
now, we have a call from Ivan Tarkin in Vladivostok. Good evening
to you, since it is already evening in your city. You are on. Please
ask your question.

Ivan
Tarkin: Mr President, this is Ivan Tarkin from the free city
of Vladivostok.

Mr
President, can you explain what is going on with the One Hectare
programme? Mockery is the only word that describes it. You have
to spend months on the website to register your plot
and nothing happens, the website crashes all the time.

By the skin
of my teeth, I managed to get a cadastral number,
print the contract, sign it and submit it
to the Vladivostok Land Committee, last February.

Since
then, I have not been able to get it back for ever new reasons.
A hundred years ago, Stolypin with his primitive tools never made such
mistakes. Why is that?

Vladimir
Putin: The Stolypin reference is appropriate here, of course. Do
not forget that there were also so-called Stolypin trains that people were
forced onto, and so-called Stolypin ties, which were nothing but gallows.
But it is true; we must remember all the positive things that Stolypin did
for our country. This is why there is a monument to him outside
the Government House in Moscow. We do not have a death penalty
now as you know, although sometimes, you know what I mean.

As concerns
the hectare programme: first of all, the programme is going
fairly well overall. I will speak about this in a minute.
Primorye Territory is struggling with it the most, I will explain
why.

Last
February, we made a decision that any Russian citizen who wants
to move to the Far East will be given one hectare.

The number
of applications rose immediately. There are 92,000 applications now. Even
the system that was designed to process them has glitches. About
27,000 of the 92,000 applications have been granted, which is more
than a third. This is the first thing.

The second.
In the European part of Russia, it takes up to three years
to obtain a land plot, as disappointing as this sounds,
while in the Far East it takes a little over two months
to get this one hectare.

Your
case is, of course, discouraging. What could be the matter is beyond
my knowledge, but we will certainly try to help you. I am sure
that the relevant ministers in the region are listening,
as is Deputy Prime Minister Yury Trutnev. They will certainly respond.

What
is the problem? The problem is that they do not have a proper
cadastral register. This is their first problem.

The second
problem is that too much land belongs to official agencies, like
the Defence Ministry, the Academy of Sciences and all
the departments involved in environmental protection. And so we
have one figure on paper and a different one in reality.
You have been issued a cadastral number, but when you started checking
the data you found a disparity, and now you need to settle
it with various departments.

I will
try helping you in this. I will try helping my colleagues,
the governors, coordinate these issues so that nobody else has these
problems. I am sure that you will receive your hectare of land. Good
luck.

Tatyana
Remezova: We do receive many complaints from the Far East about
the allocation of land under the One Hectare programme.
At the same time, people from other regions demand to know when
this programme will be spread around Russia. Vasily Denisov from the town
of Blagoi in the Tver Region wonders if the One Hectare programme
will also be applied in other regions, which must surely have unused land
too.

Vladimir
Putin: There is enough unused land in Russia. For example, over
43 million hectares of farmland is not being used for its intended
purpose. This is a huge amount.

But
first we need to complete the experiment in the Far East.
As you can see, there are some problems, such as the one we
heard about on the phone, although the situation is mostly
favourable. In other words, we first need to test this process
in the Far East. And we also need to settle
the problem of cadastral registers.

Overall,
I believe that the person who asked this question is right,
and we do need to make use of this land. However, we should do
it carefully so as not to create a secondary market for the land
we allocate under the One Hectare programme because our people are very
creative, you know: they can take several hectares first, then there will
emerge a secondary market, and we end up with those hectares being
resold many times without any tillage. Although the corresponding law says
it all. This land is not being allocated as property. The land
holders must show good result during the first five years, after which
they will be able to receive either a long-term lease for this
land or appropriate it. But they may not sell it to foreigners.
In short, we need to test every detail of this programme
in the Far East. But overall, it is the right idea.

Tatyana
Remezova: Thank you.

Dmitry
Borisov: This year, the call centre editors, and all of us
working on the Direct Line, selected a number of questions
not only to let a person ask it live over the phone,
or to record a video message, but to immediately send
a film crew to the scene to see with our own eyes, through
the eyes of our colleagues, what is happening there, on site.
The first such place is Balashikha, outside Moscow. Our colleague Dmitry
Kaistro is there now.

Dmitry
Kaistro: Hello!

It is
raining today and visibility is not great, but giant rubbish heaps are
clearly visible in the heart of this neighbourhood
of Balashikha. This dump has been here for more than 50 years,
poisoning everything around it, and rubbish trucks bring more all
the time, day and night. This dump is even visible from outer
space – it takes up about 50 hectares and is closing
in on the surrounding houses.

We
have worked here for several days, but when we arrived
at the landfill, strong young people emerged wearing
“environmentalist” T-shirts with ‘Environmental Control’ written on them.
They showed us some kind of facility for processing rubbish, even
decorated with balloons in the colours of the Russian
flag – it looked like some proactive move. This was a perfect
illustration of the place and the disaster that has rallied
tens of thousands of people here. We did not even have
to ask – people came to us to talk about the burning
matter and ask their questions.

Yelena
Mikhailenko: Hello!

We
live here in the neighborhood of Kuchino, in Balashikha,
and some of us are from Olgino and Pavlino. The situation
here is terrible, simply unbearable in fact. There is a huge
landfill, the biggest in Moscow Region, within our town, just 200
metres from residential areas, kindergartens and clinics, and only 20
kilometres from the Kremlin. This is a violation of Federal Law
No. 89.

Fires
occur on the landfill daily; it is impossible to breathe,
and there is a constant release of gases, methanethiol
and sulphur dioxide. They become converted to hydrogen sulphide,
and we breathe it. Many suffer from nausea and vomiting, all
the time. It is unbearable.

We
have appealed to many government agencies at various levels,
receiving only formal and noncommittal replies; we have it all documented.
We do not know what to do. This is not only our problem; it is
a problem for the whole country. We do not know what to do
in this situation. Turning to you is our last hope.

Vladimir
Putin: This is a very sensitive and complicated issue. I know
full well what you are talking about. I have seen this waste disposal
site. As the reporter said, it has been there for 50 years.
By the way, I see that you are standing by a building
that was clearly built less than 50 years ago. Someone did decide to build
housing near a waste disposal site that has been there for 50 years.
So let’s not forget the people who took the decision to build
residential buildings in this area. The dump has been there
for 50 years. Nevertheless, we have what we have, and it is our duty
to respond. Of course, we are aware of the problem. There
is special urgency to deal with it in the Moscow Region,
Tatarstan, Tula and a number of other regions.

What
measures will be taken? First, a decision was made to build recycling
plants. Four of them will be erected in the project’s initial
phase, and three of them will be located in the Moscow
Region. By the way, advanced Japanese technology will be used,
provided by Hitachi, if I am not mistaken, and the Rostec
Corporation will be in charge of building these units. This should be
done as quickly as possible. This is the first point.

The second
point is that 5 billion rubles were allocated from the federal budget,
which is a substantial amount, to resolve the most pressing
issues we are currently facing in this area. This is clearly your case.
I will ask the Governor of the Moscow Region
and the federal Government to use these allocations
to resolve the most pressing issues like the one you are facing.
I hope that this will be done.

The law
on waste management was adopted quite a while ago, but its enactment
has been delayed time and again. I think now it is expected
to come into force on January 1, 2019. Why was it rolled back?
Because manufacturers have to pay recycling fees under the law, so
during the crisis, manufacturers asked us to postpone these fees
in order to lessen the burden on the economy. This is
the first thing I wanted to say about this law.

Secondly,
with regard to individuals, this law stipulates that certain environmental
fees must be paid by individuals as well. However, the effect
of paying these fees will not be visible right away, because it is first
necessary to build something using these funds, after which
the effect will become visible. All this time we had doubts: will
the people understand this, and should it be done at all?
I want to ask everyone who will engage in this work or is
already engaged: the people will certainly understand if they see where
the money is going, and to make sure they do, we need public
oversight in place.

By the way,
I would like to thank Russian Popular Front, which created
the corresponding map. Hundreds of people are already working
on this as they identify the most critical issues. With regard
to Balashikha, we will look into this issue separately and try
to fix it. I can understand perfectly the critical importance of this
problem. It has been building up over decades. We will try to fix it
as soon as possible.

Dmitry
Borisov: By the way, Balashikha is one of the places
I was talking about. We were choosing locations in the regions
for these reports and these questions arrived on every one
of the 12 days that we were taking messages from different regions.
We chose Balashikha, and went there. You can see everything and get
a good sense of what is going on.

Vladimir
Putin: Well, of course. People are standing there, and it stinks
to high heaven.

Dmitry
Borisov: Unfortunately, the screen cannot convey the smell. You just
saw what Dmitry Kaistro showed us. It looks like they have spruced things up
a little, and built some kind of a line there in one
day. However, we have a photo taken the day before. I just want to show
it to you, if I may.

This
is modern-day Balashikha, the picture was taken yesterday.
In a matter of one day, the balloons suddenly appeared. It
looks like the matter is being addressed. They are saying there is no
problem whatsoever.

Pavel
Zarubin: Hello, Moscow! Olkhon Island sits in the middle of Lake
Baikal. Look how beautiful it is here. Shamanka Rock is one
of the main attractions of the lake.

Later,
we will see that almost all trees here are covered with beautiful ribbons, as,
according to local legends, Shamanka Rock and Cape Burkhan are
believed to be a special sacred place, a place of worship.

Of course,
many tourists come to the Olkhon Island on Lake Baikal. Just
imagine that 10 years ago there was no electricity in Khuzhir, from which
we are broadcasting now, while now this town with a population
of 1,500 has two or three thousand tourists every day
in the summer – every single day!

The Yordynsky
Games have begun in the Olkhon District. The games are
a beautiful ethnic and cultural festival. Let’s take a few
seconds to watch and listen.

Foreign
tourists flock here to see the festival by the thousands;
there are so many of them around! But the locals have complained that
they live as if in a reservation.

The Russian
nature conservation legislation was seriously tightened several years ago.
The water conservation zone of Lake Baikal has been expanded inland
by dozens of kilometres, and locals say that they will be unable
to do anything here if they comply with the law.

They
say that it is a major problem. Nearly all the residents of this
town have said so, but Viktor was especially expressive.

Viktor,
over to you.

Viktor
Vlasov: Good afternoon, Mr President.

Let
us begin with the road. The road from the ferry to Khuzhir
is so bad that it is almost non-existent. Many people come here by car, and these
are expensive cars, and so people drive off from the road, trampling
vegetation so that it will take a decade for grass to grow here
again.

Nobody
takes care of this road. The last time the road was filled was
10 or 15 years ago. Local and regional officials always fly
in by helicopter, and so they do not see the road
and do not know what it means to drive on a road
on which vehicles easily turn upside down.

Pavel
Zarubin: Indeed, the regional bosses arrived here by helicopter
an hour ago. There it is, the helicopter, you can see it.

Viktor
Vlasov: A few words about the water. We live on water. Look
how much water there is all around us, but we get our drinking water from
wells. It is incredibly bad! You fill a three-litre kettle and think
that it is full of water, but it turns out there is a layer
of hard water build-up two fingers thick in the kettle. Our
drinking water is not filtered, and they cannot even build a good
water tower.

Pavel
Zarubin: As I understand it, you cannot build a road there,
or can you?

Viktor
Vlasov: No, we cannot build a road because the law prohibits
quarrying on the island. Quarrying is allowed only
on the mainland. But it would be impossible to transport all
the materials by ferry, which runs strictly on schedule.

Pavel
Zarubin: So, is it also because of this law that you cannot build
a road?

Viktor
Vlasov: When the Baikal National Park was established, a reserve
was set up on our island. When we met at the club with
the representatives, they promised us the moon and said that no
one was going to infringe on our rights and nothing bad would
happen.

In reality,
everything happened: we are not allowed into the forest, not allowed into
the fields, and things have reached a point where even our
cattle are arrested and we are told that if we let this happen again, our
cattle will be shot.

Vladimir
Putin: We were in Balashikha only recently and we saw there
the conditions in which people are living. This is the result
of the fact that environmental norms were ignored at one point and people
built housing in places where this should not have been done.

We
certainly must resolve this situation now. I would like to get back,
because what I have seen made an impression and we must do
everything possible to help Balashikha and help the people
living there.

Your
situation is the other side of the coin, but these are two sides
of the same matter. You said that environmental norms and legal
provisions were toughened, but these territories are no doubt protected
by our international obligations as well.

What
can I say here? Of course, everything should be within reasonable
limits. The protected water reservoir zone that you speak of should
conform to Baikal’s status and significance and meet
the needs and demands of the people living
in the area.

Of course,
we cannot force people to carry buckets and cans of water
for several kilometres. Water quality should be guaranteed and roads
should be built. We must amend the current regulations and laws
in such a way as to allow for economic activity, coordinated
with the environmental organisations, in order to ensure normal
and civilised conditions for the people living in these
areas.

We
need to make amendments to these laws. I have taken note
of the matter. We will work together with you. I will say again
that together with the environmental organisations we should do everything
to ensure that things stay within reasonable limits. This is definitely
necessary work.

I do
not think this will have any negative impact on our commitments
to international organisations. These organisations make people
the primary focus of their work, so why should we not do
the same? I see no reason not to. We will address this problem.

Tatyana
Remezova: Thank you, Olkhon.

We
received many questions from young mothers. This is why we went
to a perinatal centre that has recently opened
in the Republic of Bashkortostan, where our colleague Ivan
Prozorov is working.

Ivan
Prozorov: Colleagues, good afternoon,

We
are in the Mother and Child clinic, a state-of-the-art
multi-purpose centre, where high-technology surgery is performed, including
under government quotas.

Of course,
the main purpose of this centre is obvious from its name, Mother
and Child. We are now in a ward for newborns, where mothers
take care of their babies. By the way, we know that this mother
and her child are about to leave the clinic. They will be home
in a matter of hours.

This
child was born less than two days ago. Both the mother
and the child feel great, which should be credited among others
to Ruslan Garifullin, who is an obstetrician-gynaecologist. He has
been working at this centre since its first day.

More
than 2,000 babies were born here in almost three years. Doctor Garifullin
submitted a written question to Direct Line, and now he can ask
it himself.

Doctor
Garifullin, go ahead.

Ruslan
Garifullin: Good afternoon, Mr President.

I am
an obstetrician-gynaecologist, and have been working
in maternity centres for 15 years. During my career, I had
a chance…

Ivan
Prozorov: Excuse me, my colleague is telling me that behind us you
can see a ward where a young father has just entered with
a newborn. Is that right?

Ruslan
Garifullin: Yes, his child was born only a few moments ago.

Ivan
Prozorov: Sorry for improvising. We knew that the operation was
underway, but did not expect it to happen when we would be live.

Hello,
you may not believe it, but this is Direct Line with Vladimir Putin. Millions
of people can now see you. Congratulations on behalf of all
of them. This is an incredible moment. What is your name,
and how do you feel?

Artyom
Sukharev: Hello, my name is Artyom Sukharev. This is actually
my second child. He was born only 20 minutes ago, and I got
to hold him right away. My wife is still
in the intensive-care ward, while I get to know
my child.

Ivan
Prozorov: Were you nervous just as with your first child? Or was
it less dramatic?

Artyom
Sukharev: You know, I was less nervous, although there were still
a lot of emotions.

Ivan
Prozorov: Is it a boy or a girl?

Artyom
Sukharev: It’s a boy. This is the second boy
in the family.

Ivan
Prozorov: Great, congratulations! What is his weight and height?

Artyom
Sukharev: He is 3.8 kilograms and 54 centimetres long.

Ivan
Prozorov: Have you chosen a name?

Artyom
Sukharev: Yes, his name will be Mikhail.

Ivan
Prozorov: Amazing. Can you show us the baby? Is he sound asleep right
now?

Artyom
Sukharev: No, he is trying to open his eyes. Everything is
interesting for him.

Ivan
Prozorov: Thank you, and once again congratulations. Please send our
well-wishes to your spouse. We will not disturb you any longer. Thank you,
and congratulations.

(Applause)

We
are returning to the question. Ruslan, I am sorry we were
interrupted. Can you repeat your question?

Ruslan
Garifullin: This was a good reason for interrupting, great news.
I will continue.

Mr
President, here it goes. Over the 15 years of my career,
I have seen the birth rate both in decline
and on the rise, the latter in the past seven
or eight years. However, right now we are actually afraid that
the birth rate will begin to drop again as a backwash
of the birth rate drop in the 90s. There are literally
fewer women these days who are ready to have children.

In this
regard, my question is, will the maternity capital programme, which
expires in 2018, be extended? And will it cover the birth
of a third child and further children?

Also,
our new mothers are certainly concerned with the child allowance they
receive once the child turns 18 months. At the moment they get
paid a pathetic 50 rubles. It think it is a measly amount. Will
anything change?

Vladimir
Putin: First, I would like to congratulate Mikhail and his
parents on his birth and the boy himself on coming into
this world. It is a wonderful event for his family. We wish
the parents and the child the best of luck
and happiness.

Now
to the demographics. Indeed, we have done a lot to turn
the demographic trends towards stable growth. We have achieved a very
positive result.

The birth
rate in Russia is growing faster than across Europe. When I say that,
many of my counterparts are surprised and honestly happy
for us. Now, what I want to say about the trends is
the following.

Russia
suffered the biggest loss in terms of population
and demographic development during the Great Patriotic War
in 1943 and 1944. In 1943, the birth rate fell by 60
percent compared to the pre-war years.

During
that time, fewer than one million children were born in Russia,
in the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic.
In the 1990s, also due to difficult events, we had 1.2 million
children borne, which is similar to the demographic loss during
the war. The drop was around 50 percent.

Surely,
we must take into account that the second case was also
a repercussion of the Great Patriotic War
to an extent, added to the dissolution
of the Soviet Union, the collapse of the social
welfare system, the drop in the quality of life,
and massive unemployment. All these factors together resulted
in a catastrophic birth rate decline, and it comes back every 25
years.

First
the war, then every 25 years, and in the mid-90s
the collapse of the Soviet Union and everything it entailed
affected the picture. Eventually, we almost fell back
to the level of the Great Patriotic War.

And what
do we have as a result? The number of young people,
primarily women of childbearing age, as professionals say, has
plummeted. The generation that was born in the 1990s has entered
this age.

The number
of young women aged between 20 and 29 has decreased by 34
percent and the number of women aged up to 38 or 39
has dropped by 25 percent. Women aged between 30 and 40 continue
to have children, and these are healthy kids. We should be grateful
to medical advances for this. But still, the decline is
tremendous. The number of people who can become parents has
decreased.

We
must do something to prevent the demographic gap from becoming wider
still. What can we do? First, we have a number of tried
and tested systems. You have mentioned one of them – maternity
capital. By the way, over 7 million families, over 7 million mothers
have received maternity capital, and nearly half of them have used
it. This is our first achievement.

Second,
allocations for a third child have been introduced
in the regions with an unfavourable demographic situation.
As a result, the birth rate has increased by 37 percent
there. Yes, we have achieved the desired result. Our measures are
effective, although they are also expensive. But we are talking about our
people, our citizens, and our future. We must analyse all aspects
of the problem very carefully. Of course, we must not squander
funds, but neither should we be stingy with them. Therefore, we need a set
of various measures, such as the extension
of the maternity capital programme as it exists
or in a new form.

We
must think about encouraging young women to have their first babies,
probably by allocating funds to them. Why so much attention
to young mothers? Because they are still young, and so we should help
them by giving them a start in life. We must also think about
encouraging older mothers, that is, mothers aged 30 or more, to have
their second and third children.

We
have resolved the problem of kindergartens for children aged
between three to seven. It is a major achievement of our social
policy in the past year. As far as I know, there are
places for 89 percent of children in this age group
in kindergartens. But we do not have enough day nurseries.

We
must have nurseries for young mothers who do not wish to interrupt
their careers or would like to have one. We need a programme
and a package of measures. I can tell you that we have
plans for a government meeting to discuss this issue.
I will not speak here about the measures we will discuss, but they
are on the agenda.

Tatyana
Remezova: Thank you, Ufa, and congratulations on the birth
of a new citizen of Russia. It is a wonderful event. While
we were answering your question, we received a question from Tatyana
Prokopenko in Kabardino-Balkaria. She is asking about your grandchildren.
How old are they, and what are their names?

Vladimir
Putin: You know, my children, my daughters, despite all
the rumours, live here in Russia, in Moscow. I have
grandchildren and they live a normal life too. My daughters are
involved in science and education and they stay out
of the public eye, out of politics and live normal,
everyday lives. As for my grandchildren, one of them is
already in kindergarten.

The thing
is, you see, I do not want them to grow up like some royal princes.
I want them to live like ordinary people, and for this,
they need to have a normal environment and ordinary interaction
with other children. The minute I give their names and ages,
they would be identified immediately and would never be left
in peace, and this would be quite simply detrimental to their
development. Therefore, everything is fine, and I ask you
to understand me correctly and show understanding for this position
of mine.

Tatyana
Remezova: We understand you and we congratulate you on being
a grandfather.

Vladimir
Putin: Thank you. My second grandchild was born recently.

Tatyana
Remezova: Congratulations!

Dmitry
Borisov: You said that the maternity capital programme should be
expanded. We have received many messages from mothers in the regions
asking for the new law to allow them to spend
the maternity capital on purchasing a car, which is often
an essential thing for large families.

Vladimir
Putin: Yes, there have been frequent discussions
on the possibilities of spending the maternity capital,
which today comes to slightly more than 450,000 roubles.
The maternity capital was not indexed over the last couple
of years, the last three years even. This is something we must do
and we will come back to this.

As for whether
this money could be put towards other purposes, this is something we can
reflect on. The only thing that has always worried me is that
the money will be simply wasted and the mother, family
and children will not receive the benefits of this state effort.
This money is destined above all for improving housing conditions. Yes,
this money is probably not enough to buy housing, but it can help towards
buying it. Young families can also join one of the regional
programmes for supporting young families and spend the money
through these programmes. Alternatively, it can be spent on health
or education. These are the main priorities.

Given
the main issue people face today – the drop
in incomes – we could perhaps take the simple approach
of making it possible for part of the maternity capital
to be given directly to the family, only part of it,
to support families with two or more children. Perhaps this would be
more effective than allowing people to spend it on something that is
not a priority and then see it wasted, possibly the item being
sold, and even at a loss. Perhaps it would be better to let
people have part of the money in today’s circumstances. We will
reflect on this.

Dmitry
Borisov: Still, maternity capital is a lot of money – 450,000.
But child benefits, as they report from various regions, are paltry: 183
rubles or 200 rubles.

Vladimir
Putin: I am sorry. One of our colleagues, a doctor, has already
asked a question about benefits. Yes, they are small. Indeed, they are,
but we had a choice: either to increase the benefits
or keep maternity capital. We opted for keeping maternal capital. It
is a major financial commitment for the government, but it is
a more effective tool. Still, we need to think about benefits, too.

Dmitry
Borisov: I would like our guests in the studio to join
in the conversation. Nailya Asker-zade. Please go ahead.

Nailya
Asker-zade: There are representatives of small and medium-sized
businesses among our guests, and they complain about problems with
financing. One of the business leaders here, Alexander Kychakov from
Novosibirsk, develops residential neighbourhoods.

Mr
Kychakov, your question please.

Alexander
Kychakov: Hello, Mr President!

The business
community is often confronted with one and the same problem: although
banks declare interest rates of 11–12 percent, the actual rate
in our particular case reaches almost 19 percent – 18.75 –
through additional mark-ups and charges required to open credit
lines, to maintain limits, or to meet restrictions. With such
rates, as I mentioned, we will not be able to build a new
economy, and unfortunately, business is unlikely to be as profitable
as we would have liked. I would like to ask a question.
My colleagues will confirm: we just sat here and talked with Maxim,
who owns an equipment-making business. I would like to know: do
your ministers report to you on the real state of affairs
with the financing of small and medium-sized businesses,
and whether the Government plans to do anything with
the level of interest rates and take steps towards solving
the problem of ensuring growth and access to financing.

Vladimir
Putin: Excuse me, what is your name?

Alexander
Kychakov: Alexander Kychakov.

Vladimir
Putin: Alexander, this, of course, is one of the key
problems – the interest rates and the availability
of loans. We have the head of the Higher School
of Economics here, who would probably explain this to you, even more
professionally than I would, especially since he is close
to the Governor of the Central Bank.

Why
does this happen? Of course, the interest rate always corresponds
to the level of economic development. This is one
of the key things that affects the country’s macroeconomic
stability. We had to act based on inflation, which surged
to 12.9 percent. The Central Bank was forced to raise this rate,
otherwise it would have sent the economy tumbling, but it is reducing
the rate gradually, as you know, it is now 12.5,
and the rates of commercial banks are also falling. True,
the Central Bank promised us that this year the volume
of financing from commercial banks will be increased to around 6 percent.

What
is happening today? Today, the average weighted rate for corporate
borrowers is 11.5 percent. Small businesses probably have to pay
a higher interest rate, 11.5 percent is the average figure.
Incidentally, regarding this and other subjects we will be discussing,
I would like to apologise right away to people who say, “What
does the average weighted indicator mean for us? This is like
calculating the mean temperature of hospital patients. Some people
have bigger loans or lower incomes, and few are what you call
average.” We need some kind of reference point. What does an average
weighted interest rate mean to us? Clients whom the banks view
as reliable, stable, transparent and with a good credit history
can borrow at even lower rates, while at-risk borrowers can take out loans
only at a higher interest rate. As I have already said, we
are talking about an average interest rate of 11.5 percent
for corporate borrowers and 15.5 percent for individuals.
Nevertheless, mortgage lending is on the rise, through all
the initiatives to facilitate lending.

I very
much hope that the Central Bank continues to move cautiously towards
reducing the key interest rate.

Why
has the Central Bank adopted such a cautious approach? Unfortunately,
the Russian economy still depends on oil and gas. The price
of natural gas depends on the price of oil,
and a special formula is used to calculate it. The price
of oil has recently exceeded $50, and today it is only $48,
I think. The Central Bank believes that if it declines, the key
interest rate would have to be adjusted. What matters most for us
right now is not the key interest rate itself, but avoiding any sharp
fluctuations in the key interest rate. We need to ensure
a stable exchange rate for our national currency, the ruble.
This is what underpins the Central Bank’s cautious approach. Some may like
it, others may not. I am simply trying to explain the Central
Bank’s logic. It deserves respect.

There
is no doubt that small businesses should be supported. I will not go
through all the mechanisms we have in place for supporting SMEs,
you probably know them, and these mechanisms should be further improved.

We
also have to create incentives for the banking sector
to act more aggressively. One thing to keep in mind is that
profits of private banks are on the rise and have exceeded
650 billion, which is a substantial figure. At the same time,
this kind of growth does not translate into more lending. In fact,
corporate lending has increased by only 0.7 percent. The rise
in consumer lending was somewhat more pronounced, but this is not enough.
We have to work together and be cautious so as not to shake
up the macroeconomic landscape. This is the foundation
of Russia’s financial system and its entire economy.

Tatyana
Remezova: Let us hear from the call centre. Maria Gladkikh.

Maria
Gladkikh: Thank you.

Mr
President, the geography of calls is all over the map. We get
many calls from the CIS and beyond. Our editors are telling me we
have a call from Kiev.

Dmitry,
please ask your question.

Question: Good
afternoon. My name is Dmitry, and I live in Ukraine.

Why
did you abandon us? Not everybody in Ukraine supports Bandera
and Shukhevych. We honour the memory of our ancestors. We march
with the Immortal Regiment. Why does Russian television smear us all with
one colour?

Vladimir
Putin: Thank you very much for your views and for valuing
our shared history. You just mentioned the Immortal Regiment. We do see
and appreciate that, believe me. And I cannot agree with you
that Russian television smears everybody with the same colour, black.

Overall,
we make sure not to paint anyone black. But we are cautious about giving
you excessive public support, which could actually harm you. We try not
to interfere in Ukraine’s domestic affairs.

Once
again, trust me, we can and do highly appreciate your stance. Thank you
for your call.

Tatyana
Remezova: Mr President, what do your friends say on this topic?
For example, Viktor Medvedchuk, who was actively involved
in the exchange of POWs in Donbass?

Vladimir
Putin: You know that we have many allies in Ukraine. You just
mentioned Viktor Medvedchuk. I met him when he was Chief of Staff
of President Kuchma’s Administration. He mainly cooperated with Dmitry
Medvedev, who was Chief of Staff of the Russian Presidential
Executive Office. They are still on very good terms.

Medvedvchuk
has his own beliefs. My opinion is that he is a Ukrainian nationalist
but he does not like this description. He considers himself to be
an enlightened Ukrainian patriot. It is not a secret that his father
was an active member of the Organisation of Ukrainian
Nationalists and was convicted by the Soviet court, went
to prison and then was exiled to the Krasnoyarsk Territory,
where Medvedvchuk himself was later born.

He
has his own views on Ukraine’s independence. He is, of course,
an ardent supporter of Ukraine’s independence but his belief system
is based on fundamental treatises of those whom we can hypothetically
describe as Ukrainian nationalists and who wrote their treatises
in the 19th century and later on. These are
Grushevsky, Franko, Dragomanov and the like. Then comes the man
of our time, Chernovol.

All
of them – I would like to emphasise that all of them
proceeded from the premise that Ukraine should be independent but
as a federal state. Moreover, one of them wrote that excessive,
“mechanical” centralisation, as he put it, would lead to internal
conflicts in Ukraine and this is, actually, what we are witnessing
today.

But
Viktor Medvedchuk is upholding their view; he is doing this on-the-record
in his public speeches and papers. He is involved in scholarly
studies. He writes articles and he does all this publicly. Probably, some
people in Ukraine do not like this but such is his position.

Incidentally,
these fundamentalists of Ukraine’s independence and Ukrainian
nationalism – some of them did not see Crimea as part
of Ukraine at all, but this is apropos. At any rate, all
of them favoured federalisation, greater freedom
of the individual and democratic development
of the Ukrainian state.

Mr
Medvedchuk shares this viewpoint but that said, he stands for very good
relations with Russia, for economic integration, if not for some form
of union. He says it is absurd to destroy the advantages we
inherited from the past, referring to the common infrastructure,
common energy grid and common financial and technological potentials
and cooperation. It is absurd to destroy all this.

He
believes economic cooperation is not only possible but also rational. He is
acting or rather formulating his ideas proceeding from the interests
of his people, the way he sees them. So he is not alone.

We
have just heard from Kiev or from Ukraine anyway, from a man who told
us that he is taking part in campaigns linked with our common memory. Such
people as Medvedchuk are also doing this. He also thinks we should cherish
our common past and all the positive events of the past.

Yes,
he is involved in the exchange of detainees, prisoners
of war, if we could call them that, and he is doing this
on instructions from Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko.

Dmitry
Borisov: We have a follow-up to the Ukraine theme.

Here
is a question that came through VKontakte social network. “Ukraine widely
celebrated the beginning of visa-free travel with Europe. President
Poroshenko referred to this as bidding the final farewell
to the Russian Empire. After that, he quoted Mikhail Lermontov’s
poem, “Forever you, the unwashed Russia! The land of slaves,
the land of lords …”

Would
you like to answer him?

Vladimir
Putin: No, I did not see his remarks on this account. However,
I was told about them yesterday, I will not hide this fact. Indeed,
Mr Poroshenko thought it fit to read this excerpt from Lermontov’s poem,
“Forever you, the unwashed Russia! The land of slaves
the land of lords, and you, the blue-uniformed ushers,
and people who worship them as gods.” First, this tells us that
he is familiar with the Russian classical literature, and takes
an interest in it. I commend him for that. However, this is
not the end of this poem. There is the second part, which runs
as follows: “I hope, from your tyrannic hounds to save me with
Caucasian wall, from their eye that sees through ground, from their ears that
hear all.”

Mikhail
Lermontov was a forward-looking man, and he wanted the political
situation in Russia to improve. He was smothered
by the atmosphere that prevailed in Russia at that time.
And he talked about it openly.

First,
if it was Mikhail Lermontov who wrote this poem, he wrote it approximately
in 1841–1842, if memory serves, when he was headed
for the Caucasus to join the active army. He was an officer
and defended the interests of his homeland. He was a brave
officer.

Further,
at that point, the regions that are considered Ukraine today were
Russia’s regions, and if the President of today's Ukraine quotes
Lermontov as saying that he is leaving for some other place,
Lermontov referred to entire Russia, including the areas that today
are known as Ukraine. So, there is nothing special to brag about
here.

Also,
Lermontov was going to the Caucasus, which was part
of the Russian Empire at that time. He moved from one part
of the empire, St Petersburg, his native land, to another part
of the Russian Empire. He was not going anywhere outside
of Russia as a matter of fact.

Perhaps,
Mr Poroshenko is thus sending us a message that he is not going anywhere,
either. However, he does it so finely, looking over his shoulder
at the jingoists and the real nationalists, numbskulls
running around waving swastikas. However, he is telling us: guys, I have
my interests in Russia, and I am really not going anywhere.
This may be the case as well.

Of course,
this is nothing but conjecture. In fact, most likely, Mr Poroshenko wanted
to show his voters that he is delivering on his promise
by making a civilisational choice, as the Ukrainian
leadership puts it, by leading the country towards Europe.

By the way,
remember the line, “the blue-uniformed ushers, and people who
worship them as gods?” The place he is taking Ukraine to has
more blue uniforms than our country. So, he should stay alert to keep out of harm’s
way and look around carefully.

To be
sure, we have nothing against these guys. I want to say: we have
nothing against you, live in peace and harmony, and good luck
to you, especially with new recruits.

As for the core
of the matter, you know that incomes fell here a few years back,
and this is something we speak about frankly. Our average wage, if we put
it in dollars rather than convert between rubles and hryvnia, was
around $540 a month. Wages in Ukraine were similar, with
an average of somewhere in the range of $450, $457,
or $460. Wages here have not grown much, but they have grown,
and the average was $624 a month in April this year, while
in Ukraine, they have dropped to $251 a month.

At the same
time, gas prices have at least tripled, and households are paying
even higher prices. Cold and hot water costs have also risen, by 200
percent each, and pensions have decreased by 45 percent. If this
situation continues, many people in Ukraine will face sanitation
and hygiene issues.

Who
gets to wash, where, and how often will become a big issue.
Of course, Russian and Ukrainian literature both offer memorable
and blunt examples that I could use to respond to Mr
Poroshenko, but I will not do this out of respect
for the Ukrainian people and for our common history
and common faith.

If
someone wants to become a European, they should first close their
offshore accounts and then talk about the good of their people.
In this respect, one quote comes to mind. I cannot quote it
exactly, word for word, but I can convey the message.

Close
to 170 years ago, Taras Shevchenko said, “Ukraine has fought
to the point where it suffers more at the hands of its
own children than it ever did at the hands of the Poles”.
I hope that this period in the life of Ukraine and its
people will end.

Tatyana
Remezova: We have a question from the Stavropol Territory. One
of our crews went to the author of this question
in Krasnokumskoye, a village that was badly damaged
by the May floods this year. We have our colleague Mikhail Akinchenko
there.

Mikhail
Akinchenko: Good afternoon.

The weather
has created many problems for people in the Stavropol Territory.
Even today we have been bothered by rain. Of course, it is much
lighter than the showers that hit the region in late May
and resulted in the worst floods in 50 years.
Krasnokumskoye was one village that was badly affected. The overflowing
Kuma River flooded some 400 buildings and household plots.

Locals
recorded the flood on their smart phones. You can see what happened
at the site where we are now. It was flooded for about three
days, and the water was about a meter deep or even more.
Three weeks later, many people still cannot return to their houses. They
are damp and the walls are cracked, so it is unsafe to live
in them or even go inside, like this house. The owner, Valentina
Sokovskaya, called Direct Line to ask a question. Valentina, what are
you doing now?

Valentina
Sokovskaya: I am putting away the children’s stuff because it
will get more damp and smelly if I leave it here. I will move it
to save at least some of it.

Mikhail
Akinchenko: Valentina, I know that you have been promised financial
assistance for repairing this house or for buying a new
one. I see that you are not doing anything yet. Why? You can share your
problem with the President, who can see and hear you. Tell him.

Valentina
Sokovskaya: Hello, Mr President. There is not much to tell.
I have not received any money from the government. The walls are
cracking, the ceiling is shifting, and the plaster is crumbling.
The house has cracked on all sides.

We
are waiting for the inspection commission; we cannot do anything
until it comes. But the commission will not come until we pay
an architectural fee of 6,000 rubles. Also, we must pay 1,800 rubles
for certificates to prove that we have nowhere to live. But
there are four owners in this house, which we bought with maternity
capital, and the total we have to pay is high, about 15,000
rubles. We don’t know what to do. We are living with friends, and we
have sent our children elsewhere. I have three children, but I only
have the youngest with me. My daughter is in a health camp
and my son is with my relatives. But I don’t know how long
this can last. It’s good that it’s summer and we have friends, but what
will we do in the autumn and winter? Frankly, we are
at a loss.

Vladimir
Putin: I see.

Valentina
Sokovskaya: We hope that maybe you will be able to help us in one way
or another.

Vladimir
Putin: Excuse me, what was your first name?

Valentina
Sokovskaya: Valentina.

Vladimir
Putin: Valentina, what you have just said is very strange. I simply cannot
get my head around it. Can I ask you whether you received
the 10,000-ruble allocation and 50,000 rubles for partial loss
of property?

Valentina
Sokovskaya: No, we have not received anything so far.

Vladimir
Putin: Nothing at all?

Valentina
Sokovskaya: I am not the only one in this situation. There was
no aid.

Vladimir
Putin: This is very strange, since the funds for helping
the affected families were transferred from the federal budget
to Stavropol Territory. I would like to ask the Governor
of Stavropol Territory, where did the money go? This is
the first thing.

Secondly,
I would like to ask the Prosecutor General’s Office
to check how the work is proceeding.

Thirdly,
the fact that you are asked to pay fees to architectural
agencies or for receiving certificates of some kind is total
nonsense.

You
are entitled to 10,000 rubles for your immediate needs, another
50,000 rubles for partially lost property, and 100,000 rubles
for unrecoverable property. The municipal, city and regional
authorities must deliver all the relevant certificates free
of charge, without shifting the burden on to you. We have
decided on these allocations of 10,000, 50,000 and 100,000
rubles in order to help people, and did not intend to get
the money back by charging people for certificates. This is
complete nonsense. Be assured that we will look into this.

Valentina
Sokovskaya: Thank you very much.

Vladimir
Putin: I hope that the Governor visits you as soon
as today.

Valentina
Sokovskaya: We hope so too.

Vladimir
Putin: He should look into this situation.

Tatyana
Remezova: Thank you very much. We will wait for a response.

We
are now travelling from the Stavropol Territory to Rostov-on-Don. Our
colleague Anton Vernitsky is reporting from outside the new Platov
Airport.

Anton
Vernitsky: Platov Airport, which is currently under construction 30
kilometres from Rostov-on-Don, was named after Matvei Platov, a prominent
chieftain of the Don Cossack Army and hero of the 1812
war. The airport is 90 percent completed and will receive its first
flight in December.

Why
is this project unique for Russia? While other Russian airports were
upgraded or restructured, this airport was built from scratch. Only three
years ago, there was nothing here. Now there is a facility that can
receive up to 5 million passengers a year. It is equipped with
state-of-the-art equipment. Nine jet bridges. Those who saw the old
Rostov-on-Don airport where our crew arrived will notice the difference
immediately. The old airport does not even compare to this.

Why
are we here? Almost 3,000 construction workers and engineers are working
here on a daily basis. Alexander Serov is a future member
of the staff. He will be receiving passengers. For now, he works
at the old airport. He sent his question to Direct Line,
and we called him away from his work and invited him here to ask
his question to the President in person.

Please,
go ahead.

Alexander
Serov: Good afternoon, Mr President.

Before
I ask my question, I would like to invite you
to the opening of Platov Airport next December. We really hope
that the completion of such an ambitious and perhaps unique
project will not go unnoticed by you.

Now,
let me ask you a question. My colleagues, my friends,
a large number of passengers and I cannot fly directly
between Russian cities. The itineraries require transit via Moscow
airports. Passengers have to make a stopover in Moscow
and lose precious time or instead travel by train
or by car. Are there plans to expand the domestic flight
network to connect our regions directly?

Thank
you very much.

Vladimir
Putin: Alexander, you have raised one of the most urgent issues
both as regards transport accessibility and preserving the unity
of our territory. Our people must have the opportunity to move
within regions not via capital cities. You are absolutely right.

However,
regrettably, this network collapsed completely here in the 1990s
and early 2000s. As you know, for several years we have been
working to restore it and put it on an entirely different
footing. However, distances in the Far East and Eastern Siberia,
where this issue is particularly urgent, are great while the population is
not big enough to fill up large airliners. So the economics
of interregional flights is difficult. Everything has to be
subsidised. But we have set up, I think, seven public enterprises
to organise interregional domestic flights. This is the first point.
They are operating and I am hoping we will expand their activities
and number to other regions of the Russian Federation. This
is the first part.

The second
is the expansion of the airport system, the number
of airports. I think we have 230 or 232 airports in all,
and a whole programme to develop the airport network. We
will continue working on it and funding it.

The third
matter is the availability of adequate equipment because, let me
repeat, even if you build an airport… By the way, we will have
an absolutely new airport that will be built from the ground up
in the open country for the first time in Russia’s
recent history. Importantly, it is being built using the latest methods
and technology. This is vital for transport infrastructure both
at the national and regional levels.

However,
for a flight from Rostov to Sochi, for example, neither
a Boeing nor Il-96 could be filled up. We need small planes and they
must be of different haul – those that cover 400–500 km, 1,000–1,500
km or from 2,000 to 4,500 km. We are now localising
the production of small modern aircraft that have earned a good
reputation with a view to producing them in Russia.

We
also want to bring back a slightly bigger aircraft –
the Il-114, I think. Regrettably, the Government did not find
the money and I will reprimand them for this. They did not
find the funds to develop this aircraft that is critical for us,
considering our vast territory.

Nevertheless,
we found an opportunity and earmarked several dozen billion from
Rosneftegaz for the relevant programme designed for several
years. This aircraft will be manufactured at a modern facility
in the Moscow suburbs and I hope very much that everything
will be done on time. In any event, I am almost certain that we
will make it. At any rate, we know about this and will continue
working to fulfil this extremely important task.

Mr
President, we have representatives of the creative intelligentsia
here today, our favourite actors, directors, who certainly have questions
for you, things they want to ask.

I would
like to give the floor to Sergei Bezrukov, National Artist
of the Russian Federation and artistic director
of the Moscow Gubernsky (Provincial) Theatre. Please go ahead.

Sergei
Bezrukov: Good afternoon, Mr President!

First,
I would like to thank you for your work on children's
issues. On May 29, you signed the Executive Order
On the Decade of Childhood. We are grateful for this,
and for the support of children's theatres. We have
discussed this at the forum in Omsk. Thank you so much.
I hope that it will be annual, because they do need support.

So,
the question that really worries us, my colleagues and me,
I cannot help but ask it. Something monstrous is happening,
as I see it, with regard to Alexei Uchitel’s film –
I am sitting next to him, but I will take it upon myself
to explain – the film Matilda.

At first,
we thought it was a joke. But then, when checks and inspections
began, when people who have not even seen it tried to ban it…

Also
there was the Gogol Centre and the incident with Kirill
Serebrennikov. Kirill’s place was searched, then the theatre,
and in no time rumours started about attacks on freedom
of speech, freedom of artistic expression, freedom
of creativity.

Who
needs this? Certainly not you. But it looks like someone is trying
to create negative feelings toward the authorities among cultural
figures. I would like to hear your opinion on this matter.

Thank
you.

Vladimir
Putin: We have a big and complicated country, with many people with
various views, various points of view, various assessments. There used
to be many films featuring the imperial family in former times,
I mean they concerned, in one way or another, the imperial
family, Rasputin and so on.

There
was a lot of that. Those films were much more hard-edged,
I would say, than what your neighbour did, Mr Uchitel. I know him
personally, and respect him as a person who is very patriotic,
for all I know about his views, and who does very talented
things. But I would not like to interfere in his dispute with
State Duma deputy Poklonskaya. She also has the right to her point
of view.

You
said that they are trying to ban the film. No one is trying
to ban it. She has a stance, she is trying to defend that stance
by appealing to various authorities, but no prohibitive decisions
have been made on this matter, as you know.

I am
really counting on continued open dialogue in our society, but
I urge everyone to maintain dialogue within the bounds
of decency and, most importantly, within the framework
of the law.

Mr
Uchitel wants to say something. Yes, please.

Alexei
Uchitel: I will not criticise or praise anyone.

Mr
President, the absurdity is that – well, one certainly can express
their point of view, when they see something. But when I saw Ms
Poklonskaya on June 12, I invited her to see the film.
She refused. This is what I see as absurd.

I would
think that the Duma has, for example, a Committee
on Culture headed by the amazing director, Stanislav Govorukhin,
where they could deal with this issue. But sending … Why waste government money
on sending the Prosecutor's Office, the Treasury,
the Accounts Chamber to inspect us first? They all do the same
thing. We show the document that everything has already been checked
and everything is in order, and they are doing the same
thing.

I would
say incitement to this is unacceptable.

Vladimir
Putin: Yes.

Dmitry
Borisov: Natalia Yuryeva is ready to join us.

Natalia
Yuryeva: Thank you colleagues.

This
year, for the first time in real time we can see how social
network users are reacting to our programme.

NTV
launched the hashtag #watching the line a few days
before the programme, and we now have 120,000 messages. Another 365
messages have come in as I was speaking.

People
say that the internet audience does not watch TV, but we see here that
this is just an opinion and nothing more. The most active users
live in Moscow, Nizhny Novgorod Region, and Krasnoyarsk Territory.

Let
us see now on the screen the post that drew the biggest
number of likes. Here it is: Krasnoyarsk residents are waiting to be
resettled from khrushchyovki [Khrushchev-era 5-storey apartment
blocks]. If Muscovites oppose the plan, try the experiment
on us. Hashtag #watching the line.

I suggest
we now take a video question that has come to the call centre.

This
is a video call via the OK Live service. Hello, you are on. Please
put your question to the President.

Question: Hello,
Mr President.

I have
a category-one disability. My name is Klavdiya and I live
in Orel. Could you tell me please why those entitled to federal
benefits in this area are not receiving their medicines in full? Why
are we forced to fight for our medical provisions in courts?
For six months now, I have not been receiving the medicines
I need: Cinacalcet, paracalcitol, and mircera.

Vladimir
Putin: I heard your question. This is odd to me too, because
the federal authorities have ensured full funding
for the acquisition of these medicines. There could be some
problems related to delayed purchases and delays in…

Remark: I have
appealed repeatedly to Vadim Potomsky and Alexander Lyalyukhin, but
I am always told that under Federal Law 422, federal beneficiaries will
again receive 707 rubles and 22 kopecks and they cannot provide us
with the full range of medicines for this money.

Vladimir
Putin: We will look into what they can and cannot provide. There are
some medicines and some illnesses, the so-called orphan diseases,
which I know for certain receive federal funding and are covered
in full. Let me say again that there can be glitches due to delays
in holding tenders and purchasing these medicines. But there should
be enough money for all of these medicines. I promise –
the main thing is to remember where you are, I understand that
you are in Orel –we will definitely look into this situation.

Remark:
Thank you very much.

Can
I ask another question?

Vladimir
Putin: Go ahead.

Question:
Mr President, could you please enact a law so that patients can be
transported for haemodialysis from their homes and back?

Vladimir
Putin: I remember that this issue was raised last year, including
the possibility for providing this treatment at home.

As for transporting
patients, I have to be honest that this is the first time that
this issue has been put to me this way. I promise you that we will
definitely look into it. We will also think about the transport issue.
Of course, this will require additional spending, but this is a very
sensitive topic and a very important thing for people who are
suffering from diseases of this kind. Be assured that we will look into
this and do our best to find solutions.

Remark:
Thank you very much. It was a great pleasure and honour for me
to be able to talk to you.

Vladimir
Putin: Thank you, Klavdiya, for this call.

Dmitry
Borisov: I would like to thank the call centre.

And now
we are live at the Baltic Shipyard in St Petersburg with our
reporter Dmitry Vitov.

Dmitry
Vitov: We are at the Baltic Shipyard’s outfitting quay, where
the construction of a unique vessel, the Arktika nuclear
icebreaker, is about to be completed. It will be a successor
to the legendary Soviet icebreaker which was the first surface
ship to reach the North Pole in 1970s. This new icebreaker was
floated out last year, and the nuclear reactor has already been
installed.

Mr
Ryzhov, as you were telling me, what is its overall propulsion power?

Yury
Ryzhov: The icebreaker’s overall propulsion power is 60 MW.

Dmitry
Vitov: So the foreign newspapers are right when they call it
the biggest and the most powerful icebreaker
in the world?

Yury
Ryzhov: This is the largest and the most powerful icebreaker
in the world with the highest icebreaking capability.

Dmitry
Vitov: Mr Ryzhov works in the shipbuilding department. I hope
that you will not take it as an offence if I call you
an elder of this plant. How many years have you been working here?

Yury
Ryzhov: I am one of the oldest employees here. I have been
working at this plant for about 50 years.

Dmitry
Vitov: The history of the Baltic Shipyard goes back 160
years. Your career lasted one third of its history.

Mr
Ryzhov has told me that the Baltic Shipyard has always been regarded
as a unique experimental facility. It built the first metal
ships and the first Russian submarine a hundred years ago. It
also built gunboats and battleships. It did not stop working during
the Great Patriotic War, when it built barges for the Road
of Life. In the 1990s, which was yet another difficult period
in Russian history, the shipyard built heavy nuclear-powered missile
cruisers such as the Pyotr Veliky, which are serving
in the navy.

The people
I have talked with told me that the most difficult time
in the shipyard’s history was the early 2000s, when private
owners almost bankrupted the shipyard, because they only wanted
the land on which it stands on Vasilyevsky Island
in the centre of St Petersburg. They probably wanted
to build luxury housing or malls here. But the government has
saved the shipyard. Right?

Yury
Ryzhov: Yes, you are right. The early 2000s was probably
the most difficult time for the plant and its personnel.
The number of people working at the plant dropped from
12,000 at the best of times to 3,000. The shipyard
stopped building high-tech nuclear-powered battleships and only turned out
unpowered bulk oil barges. The situation is improving now, thanks to the state
and the President. We have a thick portfolio of state
contracts until 2021.

Dmitry
Vitov: Mr Ryzhov, you can ask the President your question.

Yury
Ryzhov: Good afternoon, Mr President.

Vladimir
Putin: Good afternoon.

Yury
Ryzhov: I have a question from the Baltic Shipyard staff
and myself. What will happen to the plant? What could we do
in light of the Government’s Arctic development plans
and Arctic projects? Will you use the shipyard’s rich, unique
experience of building nuclear-powered vessels? Do you have modernisation,
construction or further development plans for the plant? Thank
you.

Vladimir
Putin: The Baltic Shipyard is a flagship of our
shipbuilding industry. You just spoke about the history
of the shipyard. I know about the difficulties
the plant faced in the 1990s and the early 2000s. When
I worked in St Petersburg, we tried to support it and make
sure it got orders. By the way, we managed to keep
the plant going, and it was also helpful for the Navy.
Those rough attempts to privatise the Baltic Shipyard are, thank God,
in the past. I am talking about rough and fraudulent
schemes.

Nowadays,
the United Shipbuilding Corporation is growing, and the shipyard
is developing. And it will keep developing. We saw you near the new Arktika nuclear
icebreaker. Our plan is to build four icebreakers of this class.
I think you know about this. The first one is the Arktika; then
there will be the Sibir and the Ural. They all have
a high power of 60 MW. By 2025, another icebreaker class will be
developed, even more powerful, twice as powerful as those that
I just mentioned, one of which you are finishing. The new class
will have a power of 120 MW. If the first class breaks ice up
to three metres thick, the Lider will be able to deal with
unlimited amounts, any thickness. All this is due to the latest
technology which the Baltic Shipyard is mastering very fast thanks
to its prior experience and the opportunities of modern
developments.

Therefore,
what can I say? We have included the necessary funds
in the budgets. The prospects for the Lider are
more distant and the funding options are not yet clear, but I am
certain we can accomplish this.

I want
to point out that nuclear icebreakers of this class are not built
anywhere else in the world. Russia has them because we need
to operate in the Arctic. As you said, we need
to establish ourselves there, and we will do it. There will be plenty
of work for the shipyard. I am certain the plant will
not only retain its team but also expand it. I wish you all the best.

Tatyana
Remezova: Mr President, I have a question coming from
the website of our programme: why are we so focused
on the Arctic? For the past 20 years, no one spoke about
it, and today we see Arctic troops even at the Victory Day
parade. A lot of money is spent on the Arctic. Why is this
being done?

Vladimir
Putin: While we are on this subject, what else can I say? I have
already started talking about this. The Arctic is an extremely
important region, which will ensure the future of our country.
Mikhail Lomonosov once famously said that Russia would expand through Siberia.
I can say with confidence that Russia’s power and capabilities will
expand as we develop the Arctic region.

As I mentioned
at a meeting held in the Arctic, by 2050 about 30
percent of all hydrocarbons will be produced in the Arctic area.
Some of our major projects are already being implemented there with NOVATEK
building a plant, a company town, an airfield,
and a port in the Arctic zone. Production has already begun
in the Arctic.

Therefore,
from an economic point of view, this is critically important.
Especially so if the climate is going to change. Despite a cold
spell in Moscow, the global warming trend will continue, meaning that
the navigation period in the Arctic zone will get longer.
In turn, this means that the Northern Sea Route will be used much
more actively than now. The navigation period will go from
the current one or two months to four and even five months.

The so-called
non-regional powers are showing an active interest in this region.
That is a good thing, and we are willing to cooperate with them,
but we must ensure our priority interests.

I went
to Franz Josef Land recently. The people who work there told me that
many tourists go there, including those from other countries, and some
tour guides have already told tourists that these islands used to be part
of the Soviet Union.

This
should put us on alert, as it is our territory. So, we need
to ensure the use of these routes, develop our economic activity
in these areas, and ensure our sovereignty over these territories.
Let us not forget about the purely military aspect of the matter:
it is an extremely important region from the point of view
of ensuring our country's defence capability.

I do
not want to stoke any fears here, but experts are aware that US nuclear
submarines remain on duty in northern Norway, the time it takes
a missile to reach Moscow is 15 minutes, and we need
to have a clear idea of what is happening there. We must protect
this shore accordingly, and ensure proper border guarding.

On top
of everything, from the point of view of strategic weapons,
the flight route of the ground-based missiles located
in the United States passes precisely above the North Pole.
I hope it will never come to that, but since we are aware of it,
we just need to make sure that the missile warning system
and the missile launch control system are in place.

This
is what the Arctic means to us. We had not engaged in this work
before not because it is unimportant, but because we were unable to afford
it. We just let it go, as, unfortunately, we did many other things that are
critically important for our country. Now we are back to it,
I hope, for good.

Dmitry
Borisov: We can now go back to St Petersburg so that you can ask
a second question.

Dmitry
Vitov: We have been able to get a glimpse of people working
at the plant. These are incredible people. Not everyone would be able
to work in these conditions.

For example,
welder Alexei Bogdanov has been telling me that while you can learn
the welding profession elsewhere, it is only here that shipyard welders
work, on the building berths and the outfitting quay.

Apart
from professional matters, local workers, just like St Petersburg residents
in general, have questions on broader issues. Ivan Brattsev is
a worker who builds icebreakers. Ivan, you have a question. Go ahead.

Ivan
Brattsev: Good afternoon, Mr President.

We
work in the Baltic Shipyard, where we build the most powerful
and the largest icebreakers in the world. However,
my question is not related to industrial matters. Many residents
of this wonderful city, myself included, are eager to hear your
personal perspective on the future of St Isaac's Cathedral.

As someone
who was born and grew up in St Petersburg, do you think that it would
be right for the city to keep the cathedral
and preserve it as a museum and an architectural
landmark or transfer it to the Russian Orthodox Church?

Vladimir
Putin: I did not expect this question, especially from the Baltic
Shipyard.

What
I can say is that Russia is a secular state. This is the way it
was created, and it will stay this way. This is my first point.

Second,
after the October Revolution, the state went to great lengths
to destroy our spiritual and religious roots, and was unwavering
and cruel in pursuing this objective. Many churches were razed
to the ground.

Back
then the state attempted to come up with a quasi-religion
and replace the Bible with the Moral Code
of the Builder of Communism. It did not work. Many cathedrals
were demolished; many priests perished, were killed, sent to camps
or executed by firing squads.

And the traces
of what happened back then are all around us. Here in Moscow, not far
from where we now are, the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour was
razed to the ground. It was not uncommon for churches to be
used as stables or workshops. Thank God St Isaac’s Cathedral was
spared.

You
know, of course I looked into this issue. It is true that this
cathedral never belonged to the Church. Throughout its history it was
operated by the state. However, the Tsar used to be
the head of the Church, so if we see it this way, the Church
did own the building. It was built as a cathedral,
as a church, not a museum. It was intended for worship,
for people to pray there.

And what
did they do there in the Soviet days? They set up Foucault’s pendulum
to demonstrate the rotation of the earth. In fact, it
was a museum of atheism, a quasi museum of atheism.
In a sense, it was a subtle mockery of people’s religious
feelings. However, hundreds of thousands, millions of people,
including foreigners, visit it. There is no getting away from this fact.

So
yes, we have a law passed, I believe, in 2010
on the transfer of religious buildings to religious
organisations, and we are supposed to enforce it.
At the same time, we have international obligations and other
laws that ban the transfer of architectural landmarks under UNESCO
protection. There are some disagreements, but I believe we can easily
overcome them if we ensure both museum activity and the exercise
of religious beliefs. I do not want to jump ahead
of myself, but such solutions have been found in other countries.
Say, St Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican – people go there
and there are guided tours.

Therefore,
it is important to depoliticise this problem, to stop thinking about
it as such, to respect people’s religious feelings and never
forget that this building and structure was built as a church,
not as a museum. Nevertheless, it should retain its function
as a museum, of course.

How
can these interrelations be fostered? As a matter of fact, it is
not so difficult. Simply, there should be no agitation, no exploitation
of this issue. People should not be provoked and used
as a tool in some petty internal political squabbling.

Dmitry
Borisov: The call centre again, Maria Gladkikh.

Maria
Gladkikh: Yes, colleagues, our statistics show that women are more active: 62
percent of those who have called are representatives of the fair
sex. And now an urgent question from Svetlana Romanova
in Chelyabinsk.

Good
afternoon, you are on. We can hear you.

Svetlana
Romanova: Good afternoon, Mr President,

I have
a vegetable plot. I have been using it since 1981. A cottage was
built there. No construction regulations were violated. A natural gas
pipeline is more than 100 metres away from the plot.

In 2014,
a bylaw was passed extending the exclusion zone from 100 metres
to 150. As a result, many vegetable gardeners received
a court summons and were ordered to tear down their houses
without compensation. Is that legal? Will there be a law to protect
us?

Vladimir
Putin: Well, I am returning to the subject
of Balashikha once again. Housing was built near the rubbish dump
that had been there for decades. Now residential units were built near
pipelines. Then they decided to expand the restricted area
and are trying to evict residents. Is this fair or not? This is
unfair.

I think
this law must be changed. In any event, those people that already live
in these buildings must be left alone. Of course, it is necessary
to do everything for their safety, but they must be left alone.

It is
possible to prohibit the construction of new buildings
in the 150-metre area, but those who already live
in the 100-metre area must be left alone. I will do everything
to encourage the adoption of this decision.

Dmitry
Borisov: We have been on the air for a third hour
running. Natalya Yuryeva is collecting video messages, among other things,
in the call centre.

Natalya
Yuryeva: Our next question comes from Jeremy Bowling from America, who not
only sent it to our editorial office but also posted it on YouTube.
There were heated debates in the comments on this video
call – will we put it on the air or not. Even bets were
placed. I betted on the positive answer. Just kidding.
By the way, Jeremy Bowling said himself that we were unlikely
to put it on the air. But let us still listen to it.

Jeremy
Bowling: Greetings, Mr Putin. My name is Jeremy Bowling. I live
in Mesa, Arizona in America. I am a big supporter of you.
I am very pro-Russian and I wish you much health
and success in your life. My question to you is this.
As an American who sits here in America and sees
the racist Russian phobia running crazy in my country, what
advice would you give me to help set the record straight,
to help my fellow Americans understand that Russia is not
the enemy?

Vladimir
Putin: To begin with, I am very grateful to you
for this call. And I can tell you as the current head
of the Russian state that I know the attitudes of our
people. We do not consider America our enemy. Moreover, twice in history
when we were going through very hard times, we pooled our efforts; we were
allies in two world wars. In the past, the Russian Empire
played a substantial role in helping America gain independence
and supported the United States. We see that Russophobia is running
high in America and think this is primarily a result
of the escalating political infighting.

I do
not think I have the right to give you any advice. I simply
want to thank you for this stance. We know that we have very many
friends in the United States. My American colleagues told me so,
and public opinion polls show the same results. At any rate,
those polls taken a month ago show that we have many friends there. True,
regrettably such hysteria is bound to affect the frame of mind,
but let me assure you that there are also very many people in Russia who
have deep respect for the achievements of the American
people and are hoping that eventually our relations will get back
on track, in which both we and the United States are
extremely interested.

Tatyana
Remezova: People in this studio also have questions about our
relations with the United States.

Olga
Pautova has the floor.

Olga
Pautova: I suggest talking on this subject some more,
considering that when we were preparing for this programme
and speaking to our guests, it became clear that this is
an issue of concern to practically everyone. Even today, shortly
before we were to begin, international issues were being discussed up until
the last moment.

I am
giving the floor to a person whose question is of concern
not only to Russians, but to everyone in the world, without
a doubt. Konstantin Remchukov, Nezavisimaya Gazeta Editor-in-Chief.

Konstantin
Remchukov: Good afternoon, Mr President. I would like to talk
about Russian-American relations. One of the current trends,
as you and an American guest have said, is that bilateral
relations are deteriorating and there is Russo phobia along with daily
reports about new anti-Russia initiatives, including sanctions.
At the same time, there is a growing demand not only
for stabilising but also for improving Russian-American relations.

At a Senate
hearing the day before yesterday, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson
said something to the effect that every time he met with his foreign
colleagues since his appointment, they asked him to stabilise relations
with the Russians. He indicated that his colleagues from the Middle
East and Southeast Asia had the same request. This is how he
explained the need to act during a hearing on the 2018
State Department budget.

In three
weeks’ time, the G20 will convene in Hamburg, where you are
to meet with US President Trump. Is it possible that these talks will help
prod this negative trend towards a more positive one and possibly
even towards a radical improvement in our relationships with
the United States? In what areas and on what issues can
Russian-US cooperation be productive and mutually beneficial?
I believe that these questions are of concern not only to people
in Russia and the United States but many other countries
as well.

Thank
you.

Vladimir
Putin: As someone with experience and well-acquainted with
the subject, you know as well as I do the areas
in which we can work together with the United States. This includes,
above all, control over non-proliferation of weapons of mass
destruction. We are the biggest nuclear powers and so our cooperation
in this area is absolutely natural. This is an area of crucial
importance and concerns not just the North Korean issue but other
regions too.

Then
there is the fight against poverty, fighting environmental damage
and so on. We know the position the current US administration
has taken on the Paris Agreement, but President Trump is not
rejecting discussion on the issue. Cursing and trading barbs
and insults with the US administration would be the worst road
to take because we would reach no agreement at all in this case,
but it makes no sense to seek agreements without the US, which is one
of the biggest emitter countries. We must work together to fight
poverty in the world. The number of people earning
a minimum income has increased in Russia, but there is
a disastrous situation in many parts of the world, and this
is one of the sources of radicalism and terrorism, this
poverty around the world, and we must decide together how
to address this problem. Here, we must work with our other partners too,
work with China, India and Europe.

By the way,
we worked together with the United States to resolve the Iranian
nuclear issue, and we did reach an agreement, we did find
a solution. There are positive examples of cooperation then.
The previous US administration directly recognised the substantial
role that we played in resolving this issue. We can reach agreements
and work together then. Of course we can.

On the Syrian
problem and the Middle East in general, it is clear to all
that no progress will be made without joint constructive work. We hope greatly
too for the United States’ constructive role in settling
the crisis in southeast Ukraine. A constructive role,
as I said. We see then that there are many areas in which we
must work together, but this depends not only on us. We see what is happening
in the United States today. I have said before and say
again now that this is clearly a sign of an increasingly intense
domestic political struggle, and there is nothing that we can do here. We
cannot influence this process. But we are ready for constructive dialogue.

Dmitry
Borisov: I see someone has a question in Vera Krasova’s sector.
Let us go there.

Vera
Krasova: Thank you, Dmitry. Russia-US relations are of interest
to representatives of the machine-building industry. We have
Alexei Bakulin from Volgograd Region in our studio.

Good
afternoon, you have the floor.

Alexei
Bakulin: Good afternoon, Mr President.

You
mentioned the aggravation of the internal political conflict
in the United States. Indeed, the world is following
the conflict between President Donald Trump and former FBI Head James
Comey like a television drama. As is customary, “Russian influence”
has been detected. What is your take on this situation, and what are
its possible implications?

Vladimir
Putin: I am not familiar with the details of Mr Comey’s
testimony, but I am aware of certain things, of course. What are
my thoughts on it?

The first
thing that caught my attention was that former FBI director said that he
believes that Russia interfered in the US election process. He did not
provide any evidence, as usual, but he said there were attempts
“to shape the way we think, vote, and act.” Is that not
the way it is all over the world? What about the unending US
propaganda and funding of US-oriented NGOs? The funds are
allocated directly to this end. Is this not an attempt
to influence our minds and our actions during election campaigns? It
goes on year after year.

Take
a globe, give it a spin, and point your finger randomly. You
will point to a place where the United States has interests
and has most likely intervened. I know this from
my conversations with almost all leaders and heads of state.
They just do not want to fall out with the Americans. No one talks
about it openly, but everyone is saying the same thing.

Therefore,
there is nothing unusual here. What do they want? Do they want everyone
to bow down? We have our own opinion, and we openly express it. This
is not some kind of subversive activity. We simply express our point
of view. This is my first point.

Secondly,
he said that he has no evidence of us interfering in the vote
count. Thank God for that.

Next,
he said quite unexpectedly that he had written down a conversation with
the President, and then passed along this conversation
to the media through a friend. It sounds and looks very
strange when the head of an intelligence agency writes down
a conversation with the commander-in-chief, and then passes it
to the media through a friend. How then is the FBI director
different from Mr Snowden? In that case, he is not the head of an intelligence
agency, but a human rights activist who takes a certain position.

By the way,
if he is persecuted in any way for this, we will be willing
to grant him political asylum in Russia as well. He should know
that.

Dmitry
Borisov: The call centre is receiving so many questions that I simply
have to pass the floor to Natalya Yuryeva.

Natalya
Yuryeva: Thank you.

Our
call centre is about to reach its peak capacity. We have received more
than 2 million calls. Every minute, our operators receive 1,700 video calls.

Social
media is on fire, especially the OK Live service. About one thousand
people are watching the live broadcast and waiting
for the opportunity to ask the President a question.
Here is a question from one of them.

Hello,
you are on the air. Please, go ahead with your question, and do
not forget to introduce yourself.

Andrei
Bol: Hello.

My name
is Andrei Bol, and I am from Nakhodka in the Primorye
Territory. I am worried about coal dust, since coal is shipped through
here in the open. How are we supposed to live?

Vladimir
Putin: Of course, this is not good. We have to look at how
the work in port facilities is organised. It is probably
a tradition to have coal transported through the city from
or to the port. We have to look at who owns the port,
and how it operates.

Could
you please tell me where you are? Where is this place?

Andrei
Bol: Near the Primorye Territory.

Vladimir
Putin: But what port are you talking about?

Andrei
Bol: The one in Nakhodka.

Vladimir
Putin: Nakhodka? Very well. We will look into it, and how it all works. We
will try to respond in such a way as to minimise
impacts on the people and the environment.

What
is your name?

Andrei
Bol: Andrei.

Vladimir
Putin: Ok, Andrei, we will look into it with your help, and get
in touch later. Leave your contact details, and you will tell me
later what measures were taken and whether people living
in the area noticed any difference.

Andrei
Bol: Thank you very much.

Vladimir
Putin: Thank you for your call.

Natalya
Yuryeva: And now let us see what people are writing
on the internet with the #СмотрюЛинию [#WatchingLine]
hashtag. Forexample, we already have
171,773 comments onsocial networks. Iwill ask you toshow one ofthemost recent posts. Let us
take this one, “Reading the #СмотрюЛинию [#WatchingLine],
Isee how many concerned young people we have, who understand that
thesocial lift is first andforemost anopportunity tobe heard andtoinfluence thesituation inthecountry.” User Natalya Pochinok, thank you very much for this
comment.

Colleagues,
could we now put through a call from Odnoklassniki? Our editors have
contacted OK Live users. Let us continue looking at what people are
writing on social media.

They
will show us another #СмотрюЛинию [#WatchingLine]
comment: “I am watching the Direct Line. The President started
talking about the main things, but I think there is no topic
in today’s Russia more important than fighting corruption; this disease
has metastasised and hinders development in many areas.” Colleagues,
you have the floor.

Dmitry
Borisov: Another important issue that worries our TV viewers is
the situation with the so-called optimisation of healthcare, Mr
President. We have sent a film crew to one of the people
who complained. We will now connect to Murmansk Region.

Oleg
Shishkin: We are in the Arctic, in the centre of Kola
Peninsula, the town of Apatity in Murmansk Region. The town
appeared in the 1960s near a major deposit of apatite ore.

With
a population of more than 50,000, the town, according
to local residents, is currently struggling with problems
of healthcare accessibility, which actually means the inaccessibility
of healthcare. A clear example of this is now behind me –
the unfinished building of a new hospital.

Physicians
were to move here from the old building. This is an abandoned
nine-storey building practically in the centre of town, with
the walls deteriorating and the floors falling apart,
and there is no way the construction could be resumed, but
the local residents complain of a shortage of doctors.

I have
here Darya Starikova. She is a very courageous young woman. Darya has
a serious disease and practically lives off painkillers. Several days
ago, Darya wrote to Direct Line, and it was a real cry
for help. Naturally, we could not ignore her. So we are here
for Darya to directly address the head of state.

Darya,
please go ahead.

Darya
Starikova: Good afternoon, Mr President.

I am
Darya Starikova, and I am 24. I was diagnosed with stage four
cancer. Because the original diagnosis was intervertebral osteochondrosis,
the time for effective therapy was lost.

As I received
treatment for my back, with injections and massage, I ended
up in hospital with a haemorrhage. The diagnosis was made
at the hospital. Mr President, we have a lack of specialists
who can make diagnoses in time.

Our
maternity hospital was closed, our surgical department was closed, our
cardiology department was closed, and everything was moved
to the neighbouring city of Kirovsk. We have to go there
to get medical care. On top of that, they send us
for complicated operations and tests to the city
of Murmansk, which is a five-hour drive from us. Not everyone can
afford it, and not everyone can go there.

I am
asking not for myself, I am asking for the city,
for our residents, for all the people who live here. I am
asking you to help restore the hospital, restore everything. You
know, sometimes our “emergency medical service” arrives too late. We have only
the admission department left. They bring people
[to the hospital] too late.

My friend’s
mother did not make it to the hospital. She died of a heart
attack on the way in an ambulance. She was not even 50.
People are worried. This has happened repeatedly. We have often raised
the hospital issue.

We
are asking you, please help. We want to live, not survive. We are pleading
for help. We need everything in our city to get back
to normal.

Vladimir
Putin: Dashenka, look, I do not usually speak about my personal
affairs and my private life, but now, looking at you,
I feel that I must tell you that the same thing happened
to my father.

He
was being treated for back pain. They gave him massages, heat treatment
and so on. My mother told me that my dad was crying out
in pain at night. It was only then that I had him moved
to another hospital. There, he went through everything that you are going
through.

But
even at that stage, treatment was found. This was many years ago now, but
quite effective treatment was found, and he departed this life not because
of the illness with which he was diagnosed. So, I urge you not
to lose hope. For my part, I will give this
my attention and look into what I can do to help you
personally.

On the subject
of medicine, I can say to you, to all present here,
and to all of our citizens, that we are very well aware that
there are problems with medicine everywhere, and patients everywhere are
critical about what is happening in this area. This is the case
practically all around the world.

It
was for this reason that the previous US president began carrying out
reforms in this sector and passed a law that drew a lot
of criticism, and now the new president has essentially repealed
this reform. Similar things are taking place in Europe.

Our
problems are no fewer, and are perhaps even greater. Nonetheless, over
these past three years we have built and opened ten times more new medical
facilities, mostly medical centres, than over the previous period. We
built 2000 medical facilities over the past three years. There are
problems related to a lack of specialists in some areas,
and this is why the waiting lists remain.

The queues
look different now though, because it is not a case of people
queueing up in the waiting room to see the doctor. Rather, they
queue for numbers now. This is no better, though, and we need
to move over to electronic queues, and make sure that they work
in practice.

Finally,
most importantly, we must ensure access. This is the top priority
for medicine today – to guarantee access to medical aid.
In your case, of course, we will take a very close look
at the situation. I do not know what the healthcare
managers were thinking in this region, including in Apatity.

Apatity
is a mining town and it is clear that people work there in difficult
conditions and require particular attention from medical personnel. They
probably took the purely formalistic view that it was not far
to travel from Apatity to Kirovsk.

Nevertheless,
people are encountering problems that you have raised. We will definitely look
into this. Either we need to build this hospital, or we need
to upgrade and reopen the old hospital. I promise you that
we will work on this.

Tatyana
Remezova: Messages and requests the call centre has received
include those from people asking for assistance with joining
the army. We have never seen such a surge in the number
of people wishing to serve.

Volgograd
is on the line but we will come back to it later. We are getting
back to the studio and my colleague Nailya Asker-zade.

Nailya
Asker-zade: Thank you, Tatyana.

We
have young professionals from the WorldSkills movement
in the studio. It is an international association that improves
professional training standards.

For example,
Arkady Bodryagin from Chelyabinsk is 19 years old. He has already received
a medal for professionalism in hospitality at a European
WorldSkills championship.

Arkady,
what is your concern?

Arkady
Bodryagin: Mr President, good afternoon. First of all, thank you
for supporting our movement. We are cooperating closely with large
corporations but we are also interested in working with small
and medium-sized businesses.

Can
you give us advice on how to establish a reliable channel with
them?

And one
more question. WorldSkills members are pragmatic people and we care about
our future. In light of this, do you plan to increase
the retirement age? If yes, when?

Thank
you very much.

Vladimir
Putin: Answering the first question about building relationships with
small and medium-sized businesses, you know our SMEs are developing
despite all the issues that were mentioned before – the gentleman
behind you pointed out business loans as one of them. However, they
are developing, maybe not as fast as we would hope. It is
particularly good that hi-tech SMEs are among them.

We
have a new export item, IT technology worth $7 billion, which is unprecedented.
Our IT exports used to be zero. This industry is developing
at a rapid pace.

Here,
first of all we need to pay attention to these successfully
developing companies. We have some. This is my first point. They exist
by themselves.

Secondly,
there is something I would like to draw your attention to, something
I could advise. I will say this, and they will now hear it too.
Our large companies need to develop whole networks of small
and medium-sized enterprises around them. They should not simply buy what
they need abroad when they can rely on our small high-tech companies.
Therefore, you need to reach out to small and medium-sized
businesses through the companies where you work today.

As for the second
question, you know that we are actively discussing the possibility
of raising the retirement age. Some experts believe that increasing
the retirement age is unavoidable, citing other countries’ experience,
including neighbouring countries such as Ukraine, and nearly all the others,
Belarus for instance, let alone Europe. With Europe, the comparison
would be weak, bearing in mind the life expectancy there, so we had
better take the neighbouring countries. But they have already made this
decision, and we have not. I think the issue should be treated
with great care.

In case
there are any rumours that the decision has already been taken: no, it has
not. However, it is indeed being discussed; it is being discussed
at an expert level and at the government level.
Experts believe that if we do not do this, the level of pension
coverage will go down, meaning pensions will shrink. At the same
time, the workforce – workers having to collectively raise money
to provide for the pensioners, so to speak – will
decline due to demographic problems and structural changes. The number
of unemployed will increase, and the number of people with
jobs will fall.

These
are the realities that we are facing. We must bear this in mind. Yet,
such decisions should be made in a balanced manner, without any fuss
or haste.

Dmitry
Borisov: I must note another issue too. We have had many messages
from pensioners who continue to work. They say that if the pension
age is suddenly raised, whenever this may be, we should be aware that people
are already facing problems now.

One
person, aged 52, cannot find work anywhere. This is an appeal from Moscow,
a message from a carpenter. Then there is a woman from
the Kaluga Region who says that she is 42, but already at this age
she is not getting any job offers and she is worried about her future
employment prospects.

Vladimir
Putin: In this area, we need to find solutions
to a different issue, namely, the question of ensuring
timely and high quality retraining programmes for people, human
resource retraining programmes.

We
need to ensure human resource mobility, in other words, give people
the opportunity to move from one region to another. But they
cannot just arrive and live at the railway station. We must
think about where they will live and prepare the relevant
infrastructure. This is a big, multi-faceted and multi-dimensional
undertaking.

We
are aware of this problem and are working on it. It is
particularly important in the so-called single industry towns. Plans
have already been drafted and are being implemented. Of course, it is
clear that we must intensify our efforts in this direction.

Tatyana
Remezova: Let’s move from the pension age issue
to the question of the military conscription age. When we
looked at the messages, we saw cases where people complain that they
have been turned down for the military on the grounds
of age, but they want to join the army. They ask you, what can
they do in this case? There are many people who want to do military
service.

We
have Volgograd on the line now. Right at this moment, new
recruits are taking their military oath, and our colleague Dmitry Petrov
is there.

Dmitry
Petrov: Hello. We are here at the Mamayev Kurgan,
at the foot of the Motherland monument. The remains
of 35,000 soldiers and officers killed during the Battle
of Stalingrad are buried here. This is sacred soil and a sacred
place.

Today,
the new recruits of the 20th Guards Independent
Carpathian-Berlin Red Banner Order of Suvorov II degree Motor-Rifle
Brigade are taking their oath of loyalty. This is a decorated unit
with rich military traditions, and, of course, it is a great honour
for the young soldiers to take their oath at this site.

We
see how the young men come forward and before the ranks
pronounce the words of the oath before the Russian
Federation flag and the unit’s banner. Gathered here are those who
care most about these young men: their parents, relatives, loved ones
and friends. They have come from various parts of the country,
from wherever the young men have come from. This occasion is tinged with
sadness for them, of course, but it is a celebration too.

Question: Good
afternoon, my name is Vladimir. Today is a notable day. Today,
my son is taking the oath of allegiance at this great
place. I have come from Sergiyev Posad in Moscow Region. My son
made his own decision to serve in the Armed Forces after
studying at a medical college – the Third Medical
College – for two years, and he declared his wish to serve
his Motherland. As a reserve officer, I welcomed his decision.

Dmitry
Petrov: Vladimir, this is Direct Line with the President. Moscow can see
and hear us, and you can ask the head of state any
question.

Question:
This is very unexpected, of course. Mr President, as a reserve
officer, I am interested to know how our Armed Forces are doing
in Syria and would like to ask what lessons our Armed Forces
have learned and what the prospects are for our troops there.

Vladimir
Putin: First, Vladimir, I would like to congratulate you
and your son on taking the oath of allegiance today. This
is a great event in the life of any man, any Russian
citizen, especially those of us who voluntarily choose this path
in life – serving in the Russian Armed Forces
and serving our nation.

Now
regarding your question. What lessons have been learned, and what have our
Armed Forces gained from the operation in Syria? There are several
aspects here.

Firstly,
this is of great value for our defence industrial sector.
The use of the newest weapon systems has made it possible
for us to understand how they work on the battlefield
and improve the quality of these advanced weapon systems.

We
knew that our weapons are good anyway, but when we saw how they perform
on the battlefield – this is an entirely different story.

Furthermore,
representatives of the enterprises go to places where these
weapons are used, see how they work, make adjustments, and this is not
just some fine-tuning but serious, thorough work. This is as far
as the defence industry is concerned.

Regarding
the Armed Forces as such, I can say that this experience
in using our Armed Forces in combat conditions and with
the newest weapons is precious. I am saying this without any
exaggeration.

You
know, even our Armed Forces have acquired a new quality. Some subunits
were created only recently and were employed for the first time,
and they are very effective.

As for what
we plan to do there, we are going to foster a peaceful political
settlement between all the parties to the conflict. Our task
in the near future is to upgrade the level and combat
capability of the Syrian Armed Forces and proceed
to the facilities that we have created in Syria, including
in Hmeimim (Hmeimim airport) and the Tartus naval base, leaving
the Syrian forces to operate effectively and achieve required
results on their own. However, if necessary, we would be able
to provide them with operational support in fighting terrorist
groups, including by employing our combat aviation. These are our plans.

Tatyana
Remezova: Ok, let us continue. It is time now to go back
to the call centre. Maria, how many calls have you received so far?

Maria
Gladkikh: As of now, we have received 1,345,000 calls
and 474,000 SMS messages for Vladimir Putin. Twenty-five percent
of the callers are aged 35 to 55 and 63 percent are over
56.

I do
not know the age of the next caller but the editors are
telling me he is from Crimea. Alexander Bochkarev has a question that
bothers not only Crimean residents but also tourists.

Alexander
Bochkarev: Good afternoon, Mr President. This is Alexander Bochkarev.
My question is: will the Kerch Strait Bridge be built within
the timeframe you promised? It is very important that
by the time it is complete there are convenient access roads.

Vladimir
Putin: Construction of the Kerch Strait Bridge is going
according to schedule and even a little ahead of schedule.
I will not go into how far ahead now, but at the moment there is
no doubt that the project will be completed on time and with
the proper quality, which is most important.

The cost
of the bridge is known, it is a bit over 200 billion. But access
roads are a separate and pressing issue. We need to make sure
that roads are built on the Crimea side, the Kerch side
and the Taman side.

The work
has begun in general. We will keep a very close eye on it.
I hope this project will also be finished successfully. Without access
roads it would be ridiculous. The lack of access roads would create
a bottleneck on either side. We cannot allow this to happen.

Dmitry
Borisov: I see we got a question on Odnoklassniki. Irina
Shpakovich from the Khabarovsk Territory is asking: “The bridge over
the Kerch Strait is almost finished. Will the bridge to Sakhalin
ever be built?”

Vladimir
Putin: True, the speculation started long time ago, there were plans
back in the 1930s and the 1950s. Under Stalin they were
thinking about this and even drew up plans, but they were never acted on.

Now
we are reviving these plans and thinking about this issue. Of course,
connecting Sakhalin with the continent would be very helpful
for restoring the territorial integrity of the country.

It
would be possible in this case to organise the movement
of goods from Asia to Europe via Russia and thus to enhance
the importance of the Trans-Siberian Railway. However, building
a bridge is not enough. In this case, it would be necessary
to expand the Trans-Siberian Railway although it needs expansion
anyway.

Naturally,
it is necessary to involve the interested states – and they
exist – in funding the project. In general,
in tentative estimates the cost should be lower than that
of the Crimean Bridge – about 286 billion. These are preliminary
estimates. However, this is not enough because apart from a bridge
crossing, it is necessary to build access routes and the entire
road interchange.

By the way,
there were proposals, which are being studied now, to build a tunnel
rather than a bridge, and this is also possible. A decision has
not yet been made but we are thinking about this.

Dmitry
Borisov: Irina got her answer.

Let
us continue talking about the issues raised by our television
audience

We
will now hook up to the remote city of Nyagan
in Khanty-Mansi Area. Our TV crew went there in response
to a message from Enzhi Barsukova.

Anton
Lyadov, please.

Anton
Lyadov: Good afternoon, Moscow!

We
work in a shift camp in Nyagan. It is hard to believe, but
these trailers built for workers in Soviet times as temporary
accommodation are not being used as sheds or shacks. They have become
permanent homes for whole families. For instance, this one has been
here since 1979, that is, for almost 40 years. There is no indoor
plumbing. There is an outhouse and the residents had
to build each one themselves. They used washtubs or went
to their friends’ place for a shower. Today some of them
have baths in their trailers but not all. However, there is no sewerage
and when they take a shower the water goes right into
the ground through wooden boards and their trailers are gradually
sinking into the ground.

We
are entering this 40-year-old trailer. It has no hot water
in summer – only cold water and if you have no filters, it is
brownish with rust. Conversely, there is no cold water in winter.
The problem is that the two pipes – the heating main and the water
pipe – run alongside each other and one warms the other, so
sometimes we get boiling water from the tap. Anastasia has lived here
since she was two. Recently she gave birth to her baby Arseny. Vladimir
and Irina have lived here for 35 years. Enzhi Barsukova who sent
the message to you has lived here for 30 years.

Ms
Barsukova, in winter temperatures fall to minus 50 C. What do you do
not to freeze to death?

Enzhi
Barsukova: Come on, I will show you. Residents of our shift camp
put blankets on doors, insulate doorways with blankets and old
clothes. They use everything they can to keep it warm.

Tatyana
Remezova: Unfortunately, we got disconnected.

Vladimir
Putin: The equipment fails under the impact of this report.

Tatyana
Remezova: Yes, the equipment could not cope with this shocking story
but we can see what is happening there. Vladimir Putin: Wait, maybe
we can get connected again. No?

Tatyana
Remezova: We will try to fix it.

For now,
let us switch to another city, where our film crew is also working –
they travelled there in response to a complaint sent
to you, Mr President.

So,
here is Izhevsk and our colleague Pavel Krasnov.

Pavel
Krasnov: Good afternoon!

This
is the city of Izhevsk. One of the many questions
concerning housing and utilities services in general
or dilapidated housing in particular arrived from here. How old this
housing is, you can see for yourself.

This
is a wooden barrack, of which Russia, unfortunately, still has
thousands. But this particular barrack in Izhevsk’s Proyezd Chapayeva is
really in a terrible state. I think that the camera,
the video does not even fully convey how it all looks in reality.
This barrack has already been listed as dilapidated, but people still had
to complain to Direct Line, to the head of state.

Anastasia,
hello!

You
asked your question. Please tell us what happened. The President is
listening.

Question:
Hello, Mr President!

My name
is Anastasia.

You
can see the conditions we live in. These apartments are damp
in the summer and cold in the winter. We have
to keep the heating stove going around the clock, but warm air
still seeps out through the cracks in the walls. Children are
constantly ill, and in each apartment there are two or three
children. But the worst thing is, we are afraid that the ceiling will
collapse, God forbid, on the children, and on adults. Our
house was already classified as dilapidated and put
on a waiting list for demolition and relocation
in 2029. Mr President, how can we live in such conditions
for another 12 years?

Vladimir
Putin: What can I say? Ridiculous, of course.

Appropriate
resources have been allocated from the federal budget for relocation;
we have extended this programme for relocating people from dilapidated
housing, and yours is clearly dilapidated, so what could I say.
I can imagine what is happening in your region, and I know
the amount of money allocated for relocating people from dilapidated
houses. On the whole, the programme is progressing well around
the country, and at a good pace, but it is completely
ridiculous and unacceptable to postpone relocation for decades.

I will
visit your place. I plan to be in Izhevsk, and I will
drop by and see what is happening. We will talk in person there,
ok? Agreed. I have a business trip to the region planned,
so I will drop by. I was in such houses, as you know. This
is a big problem, but for me there is nothing unusual there. This is
why we developed the programme for relocating people from dilapidated
housing. By the way, we have many such houses, unfortunately. They
make up approximately two percent of the country’s total housing
stock, about 80 million square metres, as much as the area
of new housing built in the whole country every year. This
problem is huge and painful, but it needs to be dealt with.
And we will continue dealing with it.

I will
drop by, and we will talk.

Dmitry
Borisov: Such reports are coming not only from Izhevsk, Mr President.

Vladimir
Putin: I am aware of it.

Dmitry
Borisov: We have many from different regions. People live in hazardous
wooden houses in Kirov Region, and many others.

We
are now back to Nyagan in Khanty-Mansi Area. Let us try again. Are
you back, Anton?

Anton
Lyadov: Hello, colleagues.

Yes,
we can hear you. Indeed, the connection is unstable here.

Ms
Barsukova was just telling us how the people manage to survive
in 40-year-old trailers in -50C during the winters.

Please
continue.

Enzhi
Barsukova: We use sawdust as insulating material for our houses. This
is our way of keeping the cold out.

Anton
Lyadov: You have been trying to resolve this issue for many years
now. Now, the President can hear and see you. You can talk
to him directly.

Enzhi
Barsukova: Thank you.

Mr
President,

We
have a programme in the area to demolish the trailers
and resettle their residents, but it is a fairly drawn-out process.
I came here when I was young. I am now retired but still do some
work for a living. I raised two children in these harsh
conditions. How much longer will the people in the North live
in such conditions? We ask you to speed up the demolition
and resettlement programme in Nyagan.

Thank
you.

Vladimir
Putin: I am aware of this problem. You may have noticed that
the issue of relocating people from these trailers
in the Baikal-Amur Mainline (BAM) area was raised
for the first time in 2010, when I was Prime Minister,
and then we even had a direct conference call with Tynda. The resettlement
programme was adopted, and we resettled, I believe, 9,000 families.
Suddenly, we found out that there were 10,000 more. That is the way we
crunch the numbers, I guess. Nonetheless, we will continue with this
programme.

With
regard to trailer parks, the snag is, and you are aware
of it, that they are not counted as housing in the books,
and that is why they did not make it into the run-down housing
relocation programme. Nonetheless, such a programme was put together,
and local authorities came up with about 1,500 families. According
to my information, more than 500 families have been relocated,
and 1,000 plus families await their turn.

Firstly,
the Housing programme is properly funded for this, including
for 2017. We will keep allocating these funds until we achieve our goal.
We will absolutely achieve it, and, of course, we will try to speed
it up. What do we need to do, and what will I ask
my colleagues in the regions to do? We need to have
an accurate assessment of the scope of this plight,
and how many people need to be relocated. One and a half
thousand is an understatement, I think. We should avoid
the situation we had in the BAM area where we originally had
9,000 families and then 10,000 more appeared as if out
of nowhere. The funds must be set aside in advance. So, please
make sure we have accurate estimates of the number of people who
need help and support.

We
will continue this programme and try to speed it up.
To reiterate, the funds have been allocated.

Dmitry
Borisov: Thank you, Nyagan. This city is far away but Channel One viewers,
for example, know one of our best KVN (Club of the Happy
and Inventive) teams. It competes despite the conditions people live
in, and it is one of the jolliest and funniest teams. It
has made it to the finals. Evidently our people make very good jokes
when life is not so easy. Also, by the way, Maria Sharapova was born
there, in Nyagan.

Vladimir
Putin: Yes, but I understand she lived mainly in Sochi.

Dmitry
Borisov: But she was born there. Nyagan is proud of Maria.

Vladimir
Putin: Yes, we are all proud.

Dmitry
Borisov: As a matter of fact, this year, our channel has
received a lot of complaints about dilapidated housing
and generally the condition of residential buildings from
various regions, and you know what, some people say it in so many
words, comparing their problems with what is going on in Moscow.

Some
of them write directly, frankly: “We are envious of Moscow’s
programme of tearing down five-story walk-ups from the Krushchev
era.” As we know, yesterday, the State Duma approved the housing
relocation draft law on its third reading. In keeping with your directives,
Muscovites’ proposals were taken into account. What do you think about this
programme as it stands now?

Vladimir
Putin: It is important for me what Muscovites think about it. This is what
matters. It is important what people who live in these buildings think
about it. And how can that be found out? Through a poll. That is
my first point.

Second,
it is important for me that citizens’ rights are not violated during
the programme’s implementation – above all their property rights.

Third,
it is very important how it will be done. The Moscow city authorities tell
me they have planned out everything and new buildings will be built within
walking distance, practically in the same spots, literally next
to them.

However,
we know what often happens in practice: the floor is wrong,
the windows are on the wrong side, and so on.
Of course, you cannot foresee everything. A flexible approach is
called for here.

This
is what I think and what I urge my Moscow colleagues
to do. I get a sense that this is the line the Moscow
Mayor intends to take. It is important that he gets his subordinates
to follow precisely the same approach.

What
about the renovation in general? By the way,
I perfectly understand people’s sentiments in other regions.
I know this. While preparing for today's Direct Line I saw many
questions from residents of other regions, I have not heard them yet,
but maybe I will. I can say even now that I know
the sentiment, “Please do it here, Muscovites do not want it, but we do.”
This is what it is like. I want it to be clear.

This
is about the housing stock in Moscow; 10–15 years from now, it will
definitely turn into hazardous housing, and Moscow will be
in the same amount of trouble as many other regions.

If we
do not start doing this on time, we will face a problem that will be
very difficult to resolve, maybe even impossible, and then people
will really start to suffer.

We
will get a problem right in the centre of Moscow,
and it is a huge one. We need to do this in a timely
manner. Once again, I want to emphasise, I hope that
the programme will be implemented within the framework
of the adopted law, and with consideration for people’s
specific interests.

However,
in some buildings, the majority of residents refuse
to participate in this programme. They do not want to, and it is
impossible to force people – they cannot be dragged into this
programme by force. Where the overwhelming majority agrees, those who
disagree should respect the opinion of the majority,
I repeat once again, with due respect for their rights
and legitimate interests.

Tatyana
Remezova: The guests of our studio are ready to join
the discussion on renovation. I give the floor to Olga
Ushakova.

Olga
Ushakova: Thank you. We will gladly join the conversation, because we have
among our guests State Duma deputy Galina Khovanskaya who heads
the committee on housing policy and housing and utilities
services, and sits on a working group that directly monitors
the situation around relocation.

In addition,
as far as I know, you are a fourth generation Muscovite;
you were born here and lived all your life in Moscow. Yet,
the Russian capital is not the only place your heart bleeds for.

Galina
Khovanskaya: Of course not. Good afternoon, Mr President.

Still,
if renovation in Moscow is a success, do you think we need
to draft a similar law for the whole country? It could be
helpful for those regions that completed the move-out from hazardous
housing ahead of schedule, and there are such requests already. What
do you think?

Vladimir
Putin: Of course, I would like to do this. But
as I said, and you also know what the volume of our
hazardous housing is – two percent of the total housing stock,
a huge, colossal problem. This is my first point.

Second.
Moscow is funding this programme out of its own budget and will spend
100 billion roubles a year. We could tell the other regions: we
agree, you go do it. But they would not be able to afford it, since they
do not have that kind of money. Therefore, simply saying yes, we agree,
just do it, would mean giving people hope and never backing it up with
real resources. It would not be fair to people. But it still needs
to be done. We need to think about how to approach this. After
dealing with the move-out from hazardous housing –
and for that we most allocate federal money – we certainly need
to think about what you said.

Galina
Khovanskaya: I would like to thank you for keeping
the renovation issue under control. This would be good
for the regions that complete it fast, and yes, we have such top
regions. So I will think about this bill.

Vladimir
Putin: Yes, you are right, and I am asking you to do this. Only
we must bear in mind that your “top regions” have solved the problem
with federal money, and we immediately transfer this money to those
regions where this problem has not yet been resolved. That is, the money
is not released, but transferred to other regions. We just need
to keep it in mind. Otherwise, you are right; we do need
to think about this.

Dmitry
Borisov: Another pressing issue in this field is the work
of managing companies in the housing and utilities sector.
We have received many complaints. “For the last seven years, our
managing company was bankrupt and changed its name three times,” Yelena
Ivanova from Irkutsk wrote. “There has been no hot water in 20 buildings
for a year already,” Svetlana Kudryavtseva from Murmansk wrote. “We
addressed the managing company in 2016, but they did not take any
measures and just said that repairs are scheduled for October 2017.”
How can we restore order and improve oversight of managing companies?

Vladimir
Putin: The problem does exist, and the Government is trying
to resolve these issues and improve the entire system.
A few years ago, we, including me personally, decided that these companies
must undergo certification to get a license.

But
the problem is that they should have been licensed by a set
deadline, but only 13 percent managed to get a license
in the end. It turned out that these managing companies were not
ready to properly organise this work.

The first
thing to be done is to ensure that the quality of their
work meets the requirements. This is the first thing to be done,
and it should be done persistently. This applies
to the regional, local and federal levels of government.
This should be closely monitored. That is my first point.

Second,
we even introduced criminal liability for falsifying the minutes
of general meetings. So, we introduced criminal liability and imposed
big fines for substandard work. And this needs to be followed
through on.

But
the agenda also includes a number of other issues that should be
resolved through governmental instructions and adjusted
at the legislative level. I think that we will resolve these
issues in the near future. We will not leave this problem without
attention and will definitely see it through.

Dmitry
Borisov: It is time for us to speak to the westernmost
location of our Direct Line – Kaliningrad, where Nikolai Dolgachev is
working now.

Nikolai
Dolgachev: We are inside the largest and most modern facility
of Kaliningrad Region – the centre of the stadium that
is being built for the FIFA World Cup. Football matches will take
place here in exactly a year.

We
see stands seating 35,000 people. Equipment is working on a football
field that is covered with a multi-layer fabric. There is a layer
of chippings at the bottom, it will be like a layer-cake
on the outside, and pipes will be laid inside.

Good
afternoon. What are you doing now? Why will pipes be inside?

Remark: We
are making a drain system to keep the field dry during matches.

Nikolai
Dolgachev: What stage are you at now? When will you finish this work?

Remark: We
have done over 80 percent of the total work. I think we will
finish it for sure by the end of the year, considering
that all that you see now has been done in 18 months.

Nikolai
Dolgachev: Thank you. We would also like to talk
to the workers.

Good
afternoon. Your bosses say that the stadium will be completed soon. What
will you do next?

Remark: It
would be good to continue working here, to maintain such a great
stadium.

Nikolai
Dolgachev: Are you from Kaliningrad?

Remark: Yes,
I am from Kaliningrad.

Nikolai
Dolgachev: Do you have many workers from other regions?

Remark: No,
we are all from Kaliningrad.

Nikolai
Dolgachev: Thank you.

Indeed,
this stadium will create jobs and become one more link for the region
that is geographically far from Russia’s mainland.

Today
we have invited a volunteer of the future FIFA World Cup who
sent several questions to Direct Line.

Good
afternoon. Tell us about yourself, please. What are you doing besides being
a volunteer?

Andrei
Voronin: My name is Andrei Voronin. I am a futsal coach
for children with disabilities and orphans. We have been champions
at a special futsal tournament for two years running. We won
second place at the European futsal championship, representing
Kaliningrad Region. As of today, four members of my team
are on Russia’s national futsal team at LIN sport [sports
for people with intellectual disabilities].

Nikolai
Dolgachev: Do you have training facilities? Is the infrastructure
ready?

Andrei
Voronin: In spring and summer, we have places to train but
getting into gyms is not easy.

Nikolai
Dolgachev: You can ask the President your question directly. He can
see and hear you now, just as the whole nation can. Go ahead.

Andrei
Voronin: Mr President, good afternoon. I have a question which
concerns not only myself but probably every other resident
in the Kaliningrad Region. We are going to host the FIFA
World Cup, and we have a wonderful stadium here. Please, tell me what
will happen after the World Cup? Will my students also be able
to come to the stadium to practice?

Nikolai
Dolgachev: To train or to play?

A.
Voronin: To train, to play or at least to see
the three matches that will be played at the stadium.
To come and see them, at least.

Vladimir
Putin: You see, first of all, I am confident that you will build
the facility and you will do it on schedule.
By the way, regarding Kaliningrad, we initially thought that
the price tag was too high. It is understandable that the leaders
of Kaliningrad and the Kaliningrad Region wanted not just
to build up the stadium but also develop all the adjoining
infrastructure: to erect a new township, a whole residential
area, but ultimately, we agreed on the cost of the stadium
as well. Everything is going according to schedule, as far
as I know. But to be honest, your question is odd.
The answer is yes, because the stadium is being built for people
to play sports, for fans to come there. I hope we will
never allow stadiums to be turned into shopping markets. On the contrary,
even in Moscow everything is going back to its normal course. Thank
God, sports facilities are being used the way they were intended.

Concerning
the facilities and buildings for the Olympics
in Sochi, practically everything is being used effectively. We have
probably better results than anywhere else, when it comes to the use
of sports facilities after large-scale international competitions.
The same is true of Kazan after the competition were held there,
I mean the Universiade. As for stadiums, they must
and can be used as athletic facilities only. This is why I am
sure that children will able to practice there. I am sure that fans
can rejoice. And the key thing is we will finally be developing
football. I hope our players will also perform at a high level,
which everyone expects from them.

And I would
just wish you success. Thank you very much.

Dmitry
Borisov: Nikolai, let us take another question from Kaliningrad.

Andrei
Voronin: The Russian national team has not been at its best lately,
and no one knows how it will perform during the upcoming world
championship. I have a proposal. Perhaps, you could use your
influence on them? Perhaps, you could tell them to start really
playing ball?

Vladimir
Putin: I prompted this question, I think. I am not going
to rant and rave or criticise anyone, although, of course,
the Russian football fans are expecting a better performance from our
national team.

When
I speak to specialists at the international level,
I ask whether our athletes will play or not. They say no, they will
not. I ask them why. They say because … followed by complaints that
there are too many foreign players and too little attention paid
to training young players.

In other
words, very little attention is paid to promoting children's and youth
football. True, there are positive developments. I was in Krasnodar
recently, and Mr Galitsky is doing a great job there. It is
a private project. He has built a stadium and put together
a football school with remarkable students who play not only football, but
chess as well. All major clubs have created such systems for training
young football players. If this continues, and I believe it will, we
will definitely have an efficient national team that will make its fans
proud.

Dmitry
Borisov: Thank you, Kaliningrad.

Mr
President, I would be remiss not to ask you a question today.
There is a crisis underway, difficult times for everyone, clearly.
The number of disgruntled people is on the rise. Some are
protesting in social media, others are taking to the streets. Is
that an opposition? Are you prepared to talk to anyone among
them?

Vladimir
Putin: I am prepared to talk to everyone who really aims
to improve people's lives, to resolve the issues facing
the country, but not the ones who use existing difficulties –
and there are always enough difficulties anywhere you go –
to promote their own political agenda. Using difficulties
as a tool for self-promotion and in order to cash
in politically, only aggravates them.

We
spoke about managing companies. What is one of their key problems today?
They are intermediaries in the movement of funds from
the state to those who provide additional services. They should be
denied the right to mediate cash flows. The same applies
to the opposition. Some of them in this sense are no
better; they are using difficulties to their own advantage. Instead, they
should offer solutions. Those who offer solutions deserve our closest
attention. They are entitled to maintain a dialogue with
the authorities. This is what we are going to do.

Tatyana
Remezova: Mr President, schoolteachers and former students
in the village of Krasnopolka in Ulyanovsk Region addressed
Direct Line, and our film crew, led by Maria Bondareva, went there.

Maria
Bondareva: Good afternoon, Mr President.

How
can we possibly do without the topic of education? We are now
in Krasnopolka, a village with a population of just
a little over 500. Naturally, like in any village, there is just one
school here. Such schools are called undersized. There are only 46 students
there – up to grade nine. On my right, you can see all
those who finished it in 2017 – just four young men.
On my left is School Principal Alexei Malin, and he sent
in a question, Mr President, to your call centre, because he is
concerned not only about his school but also about his students’ future
or to be more accurate, about where they will study
and according to what curriculum. So we decided to give him
an opportunity to ask his question directly.

Alexei
Malin: Good afternoon, Mr President.

Vladimir
Putin: Good afternoon, Mr Malin.

Alexei
Malin: The fact is that Russia lacks a single educational space.
Because there are so many textbooks and so many teaching
and methodological systems, sometimes students in different regions
or even in different districts of the same region study
certain school disciplines according to absolutely different programmes.
And when they move, they experience considerable difficulties.

So, here is the second part of my question. Textbooks have
an established lifespan of five years and have to be
discarded while they could still be used, which increases budgetary spending
on the procurement of new textbooks even though an old
textbook is still good enough. Therefore, I wonder if it could be possible
to extend the life of school textbooks and reduce
the number of teaching and methodological systems, thus unifying
Russia’s educational space.

Thank you.

Vladimir Putin: First of all, I would like to say that we
are probably one of the few countries where – strange
as this may seem to you, even though I largely agree with you,
but nevertheless, our single educational space is stronger than elsewhere, than
in many other countries. For example, in the United States,
almost every state and every university has its own curriculum,
and the same goes for Europe. We are probably one
of the few countries where we try to preserve this single space
even though the problem that you have raised does exist.

An enormous number of new textbooks appeared in our country,
especially in the 1990s and 2000s. It almost became
a business based on budget funds. Colleagues told me a child
switches to another school, and even in Moscow has no idea what
materials to study to prepare for exams as there are
different textbooks and requirements. Of course, requirements can
always differ, yet a single textbook allows a teacher to take
a certain creative approach to the learning process.
In the Soviet Union, there was a standard textbook, then there
were experimental ones and one other, three categories in total.
Overall, as experts say, this experience could be used to create
a standard textbook. We have to consider this. These decisions cannot
be voluntary, but we definitely can consider this. Once again, experts believe
that this is quite possible and will not cause any damage
to the learning process; it will not worsen its quality.

Should we – and can we – prolong the textbook use
period to exceed five years? First, as you know, textbooks must be
provided for free. I ask heads of municipalities
and regions to carefully monitor this.

Can the five-year period be extended? You know, for some
textbooks it can be done, and for some it cannot. I mean,
for instance, currently we have in fact an established textbook
on physics by a single author. The period of its use
could probably be prolonged. I had a look at other
textbooks – say, on history and geography. The latter was
created in the late 1990s, and it cites data
on agricultural development. Today, this is an advanced sector
of Russia's economy, with a three-percent annual growth rate,
and it satisfies our needs – as I have mentioned,
in poultry, for instance. We have become leaders in producing
and exporting wheat, which is unprecedented in Russia's history,
maybe only prior to 1913. Yet, this textbook says our agricultural
industry is in decline. What nonsense! What kind of textbook is that
and what are they teaching our children there?

By the way, the same applies to housing construction.
In 2015, a record 83–85 million square metres of housing was
completed, yet the textbook claims the construction industry is
in a difficult position. What is written in the textbook
in no way reflects reality. So, can the period of using such
textbooks be extended beyond five years? Actually, it has been reissued this
year the way it was, word for word. One name has been eliminated from
the list of its authors, maybe to show that this is a new
edition, and the rest remained as it was. So this all has
to be closely monitored. I think the use of some textbooks
can be prolonged, while other textbooks should be updated.

I want to wish success to you and your graduates.

Tatyana Remezova: Maria, you can ask one more question.

Maria Bondareva: Mr President, having heard that they will be with you
today, the guys standing next to me decided to use this
opportunity and also ask you a question or rather make
a request, if I understand correctly.

Remark: Good afternoon, Mr President.

Vladimir Putin: Good afternoon.

Remark: We are graduates of the ninth form. We are taking
part in the 2017 Graduates contest. We are eager to win it.
Could you wish us good luck and give us some good advice?

Thank you.

Vladimir Putin: I wish you good luck and victory
in this contest, and here is what I would like
to say.

I do talk with people of your age and students, though not
as often as I would like to. I know that our young people
have enormous potential, really huge. Very many young people understand all
the advantages of our country that are embodied in its immense
size, incredibly rich cultural code, long history, the unity of our
people that we see whenever the nation is facing serious difficulties.
This is what our people relied on for centuries if not millennia,
and I can see that young people cherish all this. They cherish
the diversity of our culture and nature.

I hope you make full use of these advantages upon graduation,
to work in order to enjoy life and contribute
to Russia’s progress.

Dmitry Borisov: Thank you, Krasnopolka.

Before we move on, here is one more question from children, from among
those that were collected before Direct Line. It comes from 12 year-old
Veronika Titova from Solnechnogorsk. This is her question: “If you had
a time machine, where would you like to go?

Vladimir Putin: Actually, this is not a child’s question although
it seems to be from the realm of fantasy. We know of many
works that involve a time machine. It is essential to decide
for oneself: does this time machine go backward or forward? Can you
interfere in events and change the future, that is, our present,
or is this not allowed?

Dmitry Borisov: And what would you prefer?

Vladimir Putin: I think it is better not to touch anything
because whatever will be will be but with unknown consequences. This is
the first thing. Most likely, this applies to the past.
Although, it would be very interesting to see how our country developed,
how St Petersburg was built and how our fathers and grandfathers won
the Great Patriotic War…

You know, sometimes tears fill my eyes when I watch
documentaries. Do you understand me? Of course, I would like
to see this with my own eyes.

I would like very much to feel, hear and see how fateful
decisions determining Russia’s path were made.

As for the future, we have a time machine. We do. It is
called “history.” We should thoroughly and objectively study history so
that we can understand how to act in order to build our future.
The future is being created right now. Therefore, if we want to have
a prosperous future we must work efficiently today, sparing no effort.

Tatyana Remezova: Now back to our studio. Vera Krasova has
the floor.

Vera Krasova: Thank you, Tatyana.

We have representatives of the younger generation in our
studio – finalists of the National Engineering Olympiad from
Nefteyugansk. I had a chance to talk to them yesterday; it
was very interesting. Danila Prilepa has a very serious question. Danila,
you have the floor.

Danila Prilepa: Hello, Mr President. The fact that corrupt officials
and ministers are in the Government is not news, has not been
for a long time; putting them under house arrest for show does
not produce results, and you undermine people’s trust by doing so.
How are you dealing with this problem now?

The consequences of negligence affect the majority
of our country’s population, including my family. Federal Law No. 247
states that every police officer is entitled to a subsidy
for the purchase of their own housing.

In Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Area, only 90 families have received
the money over the past five years. The waiting list includes
thousands, and there is practically no progress.

Vladimir Putin: Danila, did you read your question? Did you prepare it
in advance or did someone recommend it to you?

Danila Prelepa: Life has prepared me for this question.

Vladimir Putin: Well said!

Let us begin with the provision of housing
for the Interior Ministry employees, as I understand, this
is what you are asking. I would need to look up how much money is
specifically allocated for that purpose, including in Khanty-Mansi
Autonomous Area. I cannot tell you now, but I promise that
I will look it up.

The housing issues of Interior Ministry personnel are probably
not being solved as quickly as one would like. I am not ready
to tell you right now how much housing was actually acquired, but this is
one of the most urgent issues. We will see what happens
in Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Area, what else can be done, and increase
the funding accordingly.

Now, about corrupt officials. We are aware of this issue,
and I believe it is a pressing one. However, the list
of questions – I mean the analysis of the list
of questions raised during today's cooperative work, including with
you – shows that compared to past Direct Lines – and we are
on the 15th event – this issue is not among the top.

Nevertheless, I believe that this issue is important, acute,
and it is not a matter of house arrest, not even jailing people,
the point is– I sense your family is involved in law
enforcement – the point is that no offence should remain without
the authorities’ attention and without punishment. That is
the most important thing. We need to arrange this mode
of operation.

As for house arrest or actual prison terms, this is
a question that must be determined by court depending on each
specific situation and the guilt of the person who
committed the offence. The most recent example is a conviction
brought against a former head of the Federal Penitentiary
Service, that is, a person who headed the entire correctional system,
that is, the system that manages people serving sentences for crimes
committed.

However, he broke the law himself, and as far
as I know, the court yesterday rendered its verdict. A real
term of 8 years in prison is a serious punishment. So, let us
rely on the work of the judicial system, which,
of course, needs to be improved, but nonetheless, there is no other
institution under the Constitution that determines the punishment
for those who have committed an offence.

Dmitry Borisov: I see the neighbouring section of our studio
with Nailya is ready to join us.

Nailya Asker-zade: Thank you, Dmitry.

Mr President, you have been asked a number of times today about
protests in social media but the internet is also used
by entrepreneurs. In this connection, Ildar Neverov, chairman
of the environmental committee of Delovaya Rossiya has
a question to ask.

Ildar Neverov: Good afternoon, Mr President.

Last year I was able to ask you a question about waste,
and it is meaningful that we are speaking about it in-depth
and constructively during the Year of the Environment.
However, today my question is not about solid waste but about
a different sort of rubbish – information rubbish.

Information war in the business world is a tool
of unfair competition. It is hard to treat it with impartiality.
At the same time, recently we have seen and heard increasing
information attacks on people in power. What do you think about this?
Do you look at such materials?

Vladimir Putin: You know, as a rule, I do look
at those materials, especially if they concern my colleagues;
of course, I have no choice. As well as other information
coming not only from the internet but also from TV, newspapers, radio,
I always look at it carefully and – I would like
to say and assure you – respectfully.

However, a person in my position necessarily has
to double-check everything and draw final conclusions relying
on objective data only. You and I know only too well that,
unfortunately, the media as a whole and the internet
are used for fakes, information attacks or just for political
combat.

But what can we do about it? This is life; there is nothing unusual about
it. However, I always have to crosscheck it with the resources
at my disposal, and I have many of them. There is
the Prosecutor’s Office, the Interior Ministry, the FSB,
monitoring agencies, the Presidential Control Directorate, which are all
agencies, engaged in overseeing the use of budget funds.

So I have plenty of such resources, and before making any
conclusion, I always, let me emphasise this, always try to treat
people with care, and I first always double check any information.

Tatyana Remezova: Here is an SMS question: “Have you
as president ever been cheated? What action did you take against the cheaters?”
The question comes from Vladimir Novikov (Krasnoyarsk Territory,
the city of Uzhur).

Vladimir Putin: I am looking around at what is coming via SMS
and MMS. One question was, should we not reinstate the death penalty
and hold a referendum on the issue? I can imagine what
the result of that referendum would be. However, the question
was, should the death penalty not be applied to murderers?

As for those who cheat or try to cheat. You know,
I think everyone among those sitting here has some experience
in being a target of cheating. This applies to you, Tanya,
and you, Dima, and generally to all – practically all
of our country’s citizens. No cheating – it simply does not work that
way.

I am also human and sometimes also become a target
of such attempts. However, even when I see it I try not
to make a fuss. Even if I am certain that there was
an attempt to cheat me, before I respond, I will always
look to see what that person’s motives are, what they are after, why they
wanted to do so and what they were trying to achieve. But
I will not forget it.

Tatyana Remezova: Well, it has been a long time since we last heard
from our call centre. Natalya Yuryeva please.

Natalya Yuryeva: Thank you, Tatyana. We have been on the air
for 3 hours and 40 minutes. We have received 2.6 million calls. Even
though during your previous Direct Line, Mr President, you issued orders that
something be done about the deplorable condition of roads in many
regions, the number of questions regarding this woe has not declined.

We have received hundreds of MMS graphically demonstrating
the sordid condition of roads. There is endless mud and enormous
potholes in Samara Region while in the Dagestani village of Madzhalis,
despite the fact that there is an asphalt-making plant there, locals
say there are practically no paved roads.

Vodyanaya [Water in Russian] Street in Kostroma really lives up
to its name: it is full of puddles. I suggest we watch
the video question that came from Valery Lebedev in Krasnodar.

Valery Lebedev: Good afternoon, Mr President. This is Valery Lebedev.
I am 20. I am a third-year student. I have two
and a half years of driving experience. I would like
to ask you a question.

I am an ordinary Russian citizen. I always pay my taxes
and would like to know why the roads in Krasnodar
(Novorossiiskaya Street) are in such a state? Please look
at this.

Here is my car and here is the road surface. Is this surface
acceptable? Is it up to standard or not? I urge you to take
measures. Thank you very much. And all the very best.

You asked whether this could really be so. We can see that it can because
we have seen it with our own eyes, but this must not be so, and here is
what I would like to say in this context.

What is going on with our road construction? Federal roads are being
developed and built. About 77 percent of federal roads have already
been brought up to standard, and this is appreciable growth.
As for local roads, regional roads, unfortunately, growth there is
almost negligible: from 36 percent to 42 percent.

Unfortunately, recently, the situation with road construction
at the regional and municipal level has deteriorated. This has
to do, among other things, with a shortage of resources.
I will not go into detail now. We once discussed and did it – we
raised excise taxes to improve road construction financing. Some
of these resources go to the federal level and some go
to the regional level. Just recently, not so long ago – although
I assure you, we regularly revisit this issue – I spoke
to the Finance Minister. As usual, the Finance Ministry is
very careful about the federal part but we will have to take some
decisions to boost financing of road construction
at the regional and municipal level.

Nevertheless, I would certainly not let regional and municipal
authorities off the hook. It is up to them to get their
priorities right in allocating financial resources to address
particular issues. Still, I promise that we will pay special attention
to this at the federal level.

Dmitry Borisov: Mr President, during preparations for Direct Line
and even during this show, questions kept coming in. We selected several
questions that we would like to ask you in a quick round
of questions.

Vladimir Putin: Surely, we will not keep going until morning?

Dmitry Borisov: Not until morning, that is why it is a quick round, so
it will be short.

For example, “You often say you grew up in an ordinary
family. Do you know how ordinary people live in Russia today?”

Vladimir Putin: I certainly do.

Firstly, we still communicate. Secondly, I recently told
my colleagues about my family’s life. I told them how
my father would go and read the electric meter, how he counted
every kopeck so as to pay for electricity in full
and on time. I still have that habit: I cannot leave
the lights on. When I leave the room, I always turn
the lights off. This is why I know it so well.

Can I ask one lightening round question? I see Mr Gazzaev sitting
in front of me. Football is a concern for me too. Will we
play football or not? Let him have a microphone, please.

Dmitry Borisov: Valery Gazzaev answering.

Valery Gazzaev: Thank you, Mr President.

Vladimir Putin: In advance of the World Cup.

Valery Gazzaev: First of all, thank you for the wonderful
infrastructure that will be built, for paying a huge amount
of attention to healthy lifestyle and the health
of the nation.

As to football, I am myself very much concerned about it.
Let us hope the new young national team will play well
at the coming Confederations Cup, and we will all enjoy it.

Thank you very much. I know, I recall 2010 when it was you
and your authority and attention alone that got us the right
to host the World Cup. And now I would like to share
something with you, now that I was given a chance to speak.

I have the following question. I wanted to say that
ahead of the World Cup the Russian Football Union declared that
the success of the national team is impossible to guarantee
in football, so it seems reasonable to set the next
target – the popularisation of football regardless
of the national team’s results.

I think if we set such tasks, then we will definitely achieve nothing.
Moreover, this a home World Cup, and I believe we must achieve
the best possible result. As it was said here, of course,
I would like you to have an impact on the result,
especially on the national team.

What do you think, Mr President, what kind of results should our team
have and how should it perform at the coming home World Cup?

Vladimir Putin: Mr Gazzaev, I wanted to hear it from you. You are
smart to pass the ball to me.

Valery Gazzaev: I can say in earnest that I have
the same opinion as you do, Mr President.

Vladimir Putin: Thank you. Let us hope that the boys will give it
their all like real fighters and athletes, so as to make our
fans happy at least by striving for victory. By the way,
the recent matches show that the national team still has potential.

Tatyana Remezova: We continue our quick round of questions: “They say
you literally lost your head over digital economy. Is that true?”

Vladimir Putin: My head is okay.

Tatyana Remezova: Thank God.

Vladimir Putin: But the digital economy – without it, we will not
be able to move on to the next technological level.
And without the transition to a new technological model,
the Russian economy, which basically means Russia, has no future.
Therefore, this is the number one goal in the economy that we
must achieve. The main thing is that we do have all the prerequisites
in place for this. Thank God, we have preserved a very good
school of mathematics; our computer programming is developing very
intensively, we just need to provide a market for our software
engineers. We have many good technological projects. We can do this.

Dmitry Borisov: We have received texts like this: “Do you really think that
people believe these fabricated questions?”

Vladimir Putin: Believe what?

Dmitry Borisov: “Believe fabricated questions.”

Vladimir Putin: “Let us free the world from this evil!” It is not
clear what evil. Is this a fabricated question?

“What do you do in your spare time?” I work.

“Why do wages for the same work often differ across
the regions, even in public institutions?” Because
the subsistence level varies across the regions and local
production facilities have been developing at a different pace for decades.
In one place, the cost of living is higher than in another,
I am talking about the subsistence level. These are interrelated
things that have evolved over decades. However, we have to even out
the incomes and certainly federal employees have to make roughly
the same money across the country. All these questions are always
at the focus of our attention. And we will continue working
on them.

Therefore, these questions are clearly not prepared in advance. Nor
are all the others that were asked here today.

Tatyana Remezova: “Which world leader has the strongest handshake?”

Vladimir Putin: You know, the strength of a leader is not
measured by their handshake; it is measured by their attitude towards
the work they do, towards the fate of their country
and their people, and by their personal commitment
and dedication while exercising their powers.

Tatyana Remezova: “It is rumoured that there will be no indexation
of pensions until 2030. Is that true?”

Vladimir Putin: No, it is not true, it is rubbish. We have a law,
and in accordance with this law, we will index pensions at least
according to the previous year’s inflation rate.

Dmitry Borisov: “How many languages do you speak?”

Vladimir Putin: Russian, thank God, I am also fluent in German,
and I can speak a little English.

Tatyana Remezova: “How do you feel about jokes about you?”

Vladimir Putin: It depends on the joke.

Tatyana Remezova: Is there a favourite?

Vladimir Putin: No, I never remember them. Do you think I keep
them in mind or something? I have not read a single book
about myself, and I certainly never remember jokes.

Dmitry Borisov: Another question: What is the biggest fish you have
ever caught?

Vladimir Putin: Yes, I know this is a matter of interest
for professional and amateur fishermen, I read about it
and see it on the internet. Honestly, the fish was weighed
in my presence, it was 20 kilograms, although many believe it did not
look big enough to weigh 20 kilograms. But this is what I saw. Maybe
somebody was standing near with a finger on the scale, but
I did not notice anything.

Tatyana Remezova: At Direct Line, we have a tradition we will not
break. Usually you yourself pick out some questions you liked or you want
to answer, so we are giving you this opportunity.

Vladimir Putin: You know, I do have such questions, I selected
them, but I did not take them with me. They are not even questions per se
but requests, and sensitive ones. I will not say what they were, but
I will do my best to respond to them, all the more so
as such requests come from people with special needs.

These requests are not huge, but they are very specific. I will try
to do this. However, while I was talking here with you, I looked
around, and some questions appeared universal to me. I mean, not
universal but important, and some were regional but serious as well.

Here is one of the questions, not a serious one, but
nevertheless: When will the Russian President drive a Russian-made
car? I hope this will happen soon. This not an idle question.

I once asked the head of a western car manufacturer
what car he drove. He said: ”Why, …, of course“ and named
the company he worked for. This is natural.

And of course, a country like Russia must produce
a line of cars that the country's top officials will use. We are
working on this. I hope that by the end of 2018 this
will materialise, and this will be a line of cars not only
for top officials, like limos, but it will also include SUVs, minibuses,
hatchbacks, and others – that is, it will be a brand new line
of domestically produced cars.

”Will the Armed Forces service period be extended?“ The question
is not quite clear. If the person asking means conscription service, then
of course not; but if the period of service for officers
was meant, then this has to be considered.

I know that many officers would like the service period
to be extended. This issue has to be examined and taken
seriously, with all the pros and cons analysed. Overall, this is
possible.

Another question: ”Who do you plan to choose as your successor?“
Firstly, I am still in office. Secondly, I want to say that
this is a choice for the voters – the Russian people.
Of course, I made my choice a while ago,
and I see nothing dishonourable in saying that
my preferences are such and such; but ultimately, we should not
forget that Russian citizens are the ones to vote, and it is
only up to them to determine who will lead a region,
a district, a city, an area or the country.

You know, this is a strange question: Governor Merkushkin deprives
federal veterans of some allowances. I do not even understand what
this is all about. How can any governor, not only Nikolai Merkushkin but also
others, stop making payments to federal beneficiaries? I do not get
this. I will check on this, by all means. I want you
to know that I paid attention to this question.

Finally, this is not a question but a statement. I read it.
It says, “Everything will be fine.” This is true. I can confirm it.

Dmitry Borisov: You said that the voters would decide who would
be the head of state. Could you predict what challenges the head
of state whom they will elect for the next six years will be
facing? What priority tasks will the president have to focus on?

Vladimir
Putin: We have many tasks. The first and the most important one
is to ensure that people’s incomes go up. It is necessary
to eliminate poverty, shacks and hazardous housing, but we can achieve
this only if we grow our economy at the necessary rates.

In this
context, it is necessary to pay attention to labour productivity
and increase it, but this is impossible without transitioning
to the next technological level, and at this point, we need
the digital economy and properly organised work.

We
must make substantial adjustments of administrative forms
at the level of municipal entities, regions
and the entire country.

It is
perfectly obvious that we need a serious transformation of management
at this point. This is not a big but a very important list
of tasks that will be raised in the near future.

Tatyana
Remezova: And the final question: Will there be one more Direct
Line with Vladimir Putin or is this the last one?

Vladimir
Putin: If there is any line, it will be only direct, just as today.

Dmitry
Borisov: Thank you. We received answers to a majority
of questions. We hope that today’s session will also help resolve many
problems raised by our audience.

Vladimir
Putin: Thank you, thanks to the anchors and thanks
to all citizens of our country who took part in our joint work
today.

I would
like to apologise if I did not answer all of your questions.
Please do not be cross with me. That is impossible to do, and that
includes questions from our audience.

However,
it is very important for me to hear your opinions, to see what
you think about events in the country. It is important for all
of us – for the Government, the Presidential Executive
Office and for me – to analyse the incoming questions,
proposals, requests or critical remarks.

We
will take all of them into consideration in our practical work.
In any event, we will do so to the best of our abilities.

assange

At midday on Friday 5 February, 2016 Julian Assange, John Jones QC, Melinda Taylor, Jennifer Robinson and Baltasar Garzon will be speaking at a press conference at the Frontline Club on the decision made by the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention on the Assange case.